


an eye for an eye.

by harrystandingonawatermelon



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, F/F, F/M, Harry Styles is Not Part of One Direction, Harry is a Little Shit, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, Larry Stylinson Is Real, Louis Tomlinson is Not Part of One Direction, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Nicknames, No Smut, Not Canon Compliant, Popular Harry Styles, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sassy Louis Tomlinson, Smart Louis Tomlinson, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:21:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 92,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25870507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrystandingonawatermelon/pseuds/harrystandingonawatermelon
Summary: Louis Tomlinson was just a regular kid who had a rivalry with the school's resident pretty boy, Harry Styles. Their day went by normally- However, a trip to the principal's office from their shared class and the principal announcing the lockdown left them both tied into a certain possibly very deadly situation with a man that Louis knew very well."Found you, Lou."
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 52





	1. found you, lou.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, please excuse any translation errors. This fic has gone through four different couples and fandoms!

-Louis POV-  
Heraclitus, a Greek Philosopher, once said to “expect the unexpected”. If I had a fucking nickel for every time someone had told me that, I would be a millionaire. Every single time someone told me that, they would be wearing a smug ‘I Know What I’m Talking About’ look on their face. 

And to be honest- I have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. 

I know I might overthink things sometimes, but seriously. I mean, wouldn’t by saying ‘expect the unexpected’ drive you to actually expect ‘unexpecting’ things, therefore making them expected? I’m crazy; I know. If you look back at the quote, wouldn’t it be technically impossible? 

There. I rest my case. 

My mother just had to text me that while I was on my way to school. I walk, so it’s not a safety hazard to anyone but me, so don’t go calling the cops on me. 

I’m checking out for innocent. 

My mum, Johannah Deakin, is a very smart woman. She is a national mathematician, working everywhere at once. She makes good money, which ends up making us have a mansion, a mansion I’m usually alone in whenever she’s away. 

And if I were honest- she’s away quite a lot. 

It’s not like I resent her for that or anything, because I most certainly do not. But sometimes I can’t help but feel alone. We used to be really close, so close that she would homeschool me, and take me everywhere with her. 

It all came to a halt when high school came along, and she wanted me to have the ‘normal high school experience’. That was almost three years ago, and now I’m in my Junior year. 

School sucks for me. I’ve learned all the material before, and I’m easily at the top of my class, being in all the AP classes and able to tell the teacher what to do when they’re stuck… it’s kind of a given. So basically, being in high school would really be wasting four years of my life. 

But here I am, going on my third. 

I’ve gotten plenty acceptance letters from colleges, 34 to be exact, from all the Ivy leagues too, like Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard, and even Stanford. You’d think that I would want to have the weight of the world off my shoulders, knowing that I could go anywhere I want. 

But to be honest, I don’t. 

Coming into school in freshman year while everyone else knew each other from the previous years of school hasn’t exactly been a blast. I came in with little to none experience with others my age not as… literate as I was. 

I was very lucky that my best friends took me under their wing- Eleanor Calder, a punk, rock chick with attitude; Niall Horan, a small, quiet, boy cutie that has a little defensive side that’s waiting to come out; and Briana Jungwirth, a sarcastic hottie that loves to be herself. 

We’re all very different, but somehow we still came on to be joined at the hip. 

I was also kinda unlucky, having taken the eye of the ‘King’ of the school- Harry Styles. With his chocolate brown locks, his green eyes, and his toned body, he was easily the hottest guy in the school. I swear, I haven’t met a single girl or guy who hasn’t had a crush on him- besides my little band of friends… and me. 

He tried making a few moves on me freshman year, and when they didn’t work, he decided to make my life a living hell. He turned everyone in the school against me, besides the ones who actually knew me and the ones who didn’t really care, and after that, life’s been pretty interesting. 

I was labeled an outcast, along with my friends. Now, Harry’s followers, (which is a good half of the school) don’t really care to talk to us. Or when they do, Eleanor could be given a run for her money in the rude department. 

That day, Harry Styles and I were officially enemies, and I’ve been plotting my revenge ever since. 

“Hey Nerd! Get out of my way!” 

_And now my day officially begins._

__

__

I moved out of the way for my school's football team to barrel through the front doors. Normally, I don’t let people speak to me like that without a fight, even Harry, but hey- these guys were really big. And if my smarts told me anything, they told me not to mess with really big guys. I noted that Harry wasn’t with them, and I smirked. 

Probably hitting on someone again. 

I followed them in, after having to pry the door open after they had slammed it shut. Our school really needed to get new doors because when these doors are slammed, it’s one heck of a workout just to get them back open. 

When I walked in, it was quite the surprise as I saw Eleanor Calder, in all her glory, standing over a football player who was laying on the floor in fetal position, while she was yelling at him. 

“You don’t be mean to my best friend, _do you hear me?”_

__

__

Eleanor can be pretty scary when she wants to be. 

As soon as I caught her eye, she walked over to me, stepping on the guy she just mauled on the balls, and coming to link arms with me as he groaned on the floor. “So, how was your spring break?” 

I loved how she could just totally maul someone, then come and talk to someone like nothing happened. 

That was Eleanor, alright. 

“It was okay… my mum wasn’t home, so I kind of just laid out by the pool and read my book.” I chose to leave out the part where I had read a book a day, savoring that part for Niall. Eleanor wouldn’t respect it like Ni would. 

“Let’s go, I know Briana and Ni are in the library, looking for some weird mythology book… I think.” 

Eleanor dragged me through a crowded hallway, and I immediately knew why it was so crowded. Harry must be somewhere close to here. I knew I was probably right, considering most of them were either jocks, or girls that showed a little too much cleavage. 

Just the very beings he hangs out with. 

Every one of those girls probably had fantasies of becoming his girlfriend, even the guys dreaming of being his boyfriend. Harry was, in fact, bisexual. Girls and guys were coming at him from all angles because of the school's newest hot topic- Harry had broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, over spring break. 

I bet he had those girls lined up to see who would be good girlfriend material. 

I shook my head in disgust, not understanding why they were so infatuated with him. He’s not a nice guy, and he’s really nothing but a big bully. Sure, he’s pretty hot, but what athlete wasn’t? What’s so great about Harry Styles?

Well, he’s rich for one thing. He’s popular… and he’s hot. 

Great. I was starting to think down on their level. 

“Louis, come on! We gotta get to the library!” Eleanor exclaimed, dragging me away from the group of populars, but before I turned my back to reply, I caught sight of a familiar mop of chocolate hair, in the middle of the group of people. 

Of course. 

And now that I saw him, I couldn’t resist making a scene. I mean, what do I have to lose? I don’t care what people think of me, my life probably won’t be ruined, and I have Eleanor with me, who could make the biggest football player cry- just from her glare. 

“Hey Styles! Why’d you break up with Kendall?” I asked, yelling out in his direction. All of the ‘Populars’ turned to look at me, and the girl who, by the looks of it, had been trying to feel-up Harry, looked at me in disgust. 

Harry looked at me in what I think was shock… but then it was quickly gone, hidden behind a mask of his little signature smirk. 

"Got bored. Why, you looking for a date?"

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "Like I'd be dumb enough to date you."

A few of the neanderthals from the football team 'Ooh-d' and did a gesture with their hands that was a little weird. "Dang Haz! You just got owned!"

Harry just shrugged it off. "Just face it, Louis Tomlinson. You have a crush on me."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

I just glared at him, and he noticed that I was 'surrendering'. Pshh. I'm just getting started. Harry just gave me a smug smile, and pulled that one girl that had been feeling him up in for a kiss. They made out for a good few seconds, just enough time for some barf to come up, and me to force it back down.

When he pulled away, the girl looked like she was on Cloud-9, while Harry looked like he didn't just make out with a girl. You'd think he'd show something towards her or something… Oh. I forgot. Harry doesn't have a heart, so he couldn't feel that even if he wanted to.

"Too bad for you, even if you have a crush on me," Harry winked, and took a deep breath as if he were deciding something. "I'd never date you."

That left a dent in my façade as I tried to get ahold of myself. That hurt. Why would it hurt me if he said that?

I felt Eleanor's grip on my arm tighten, and I turned to look at her. "Let's go," she said as a sympathetic look came onto her face.

That did not turn out how I thought it would.

I nodded, trying to ignore the laughing. The populars were laughing at me. Usually I don't really care about what people think about me, but after feeling that… hurt, from Harry, the people laughing was like putting salt on the wound.

Eleanor brought me to the library, where she made me stop right before the door. I looked at her with a confused expression. "What's up?"

"You okay? That was pretty brutal back there, even for them."

I shrugged. "Thanks for not getting involved. I'm glad you finally discovered that I like to fight my own battles."

I tried to give a little laugh at the end, trying making the air feel lighter. It didn't work.

"Louis… you don't have to be so strong all the time, sometimes it would be healthy if you just-"

I cut her off. "Eleanor, you know that I won't let it get to me. I just don't. Now… don't worry about me, and let's get back into that library. I'm pretty sure Briana might be ready to kill Ni right now. I mean, you know how Ni can be when he’s looking for a book."

Eleanor laughed. "Yeah, there's something wrong with that dork and his distractions. Sometimes I feel like he isn't even with us."

I laughed a bit, and opened the double doors into the library.

The library was a pretty cool place. There was some fun chairs to sit in, and a lot of magazines… that's really the only reason why Eleanor could stand this place. Other than that, the library is pretty normal. Books, books, and more books.

Niall and I love it.

"Lou! Eleanor! We found the book!" Ni yelled, running up to us. Briana walked up to us behind him, snickering as the librarian gave a little "Shush!"

I looked at the book in Niall’s hand curiously. "Can I see that?"

He nodded, and handed it to me. I opened the pages, and I was soon taken to a different world, amazed as I saw that this book wasn't even written in English. It was old, for sure, but I recognized this to be written in Ancient Greek- a dead language.

"Niall, how did you get this book?" I gasped, paging through it. My eyes were probably bugging out of my head from amazement.

"I asked the librarian if she had it. Briana's complaining got annoying, so I just asked the librarian, who went into the back, and let me borrow it," he explained, as if it was normal for him to get a book that was written in a dead language.

"What I'm trying to ask you, why did you get this book?" I asked. "This is like a fucking journal from a scribe! Well, it's been transcribed a few times till it got into this book, but really! This is amazing, you bloody wanker!"

"How old is this, anyways?"

Niall just shrugged. "I knew this would interest you, therefore making your day. None of us likes a crabby, sad, or annoyed Louis."

"Gee Ni! Thank you!" It was part sarcasm, part the truth… I was happy he got it, just not really too pleased on the reason.

Good to know I can scare my friends.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Throughout the day, all I did was read the book. Niall knew I knew Ancient Greek, since my mother had taught it to me. He was really all up in the whole Ancient Greek thing.

When my mother would come home from Greece, she would have had taken some class on ancient Greek. She forced me to learn it, and since she went so often because of the good architecture there, I caught on pretty fast and now I can speak fluently. 

I don't think I've ever loved knowing how to speak Ancient Greek before, but now, I'm sure loving it up. This book had so much in it. It was an autobiography, basically. The scribe wrote down what he was doing, kind of like a journal, or a diary.

By English class I just got to where he was summoned to meet with the ruler of where he lived… which back then, and probably still now, is a huge deal.

"How's the book?"

I jumped in my seat, and turned around to be met with the hazel eyes of the one and only Kendall Jenner. Good God, what the hell is happening?

"Um…" I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Here, in all her glory, was the very girl Harry Styles had dated for a month. Probably a record for him.

"Sorry, for everything. I mean, scaring you, and being a brat in the past."

I looked at her confused.

"When I would kind of pick on you with Haz?"

Oh. That's what she means.

"Well… if you're actually really sorry, it's fine. And if you're not actually really sorry, I might have to sick Eleanor on you," I said in complete seriousness, turning around to get back to the book. Well, the book was good, and I wasn't too sure about her, so why not read the book?

Kendall, in my surprise, laughed. She wasn't laughing at me, which I was kind of used to, but she was laughing with me, so to speak. It was kind of like she was being friendly. And in my previous experiences with her, I knew Kendall and friendly don't exactly mash together well.

"I like you, Louis. I'd like to talk to you sometime… you know, catch up. I kind of got a kick in the ass and changed. Harry, well, he wasn't exactly the best guy I've ever decided to date."

I scoffed at that one.

"But… I do want to get to know you. Based off of the book you're reading, I think we might get along pretty well. We both have secret talents," she said jokingly, smiling.

I smiled back at her. Seems clear to me… I'll just have to put Eleanor on my speed dial, just to be sure. "We should talk sometime. Sit with me and my friends at lunch… I have a feeling you might not want to sit next to Harry, like you usually do."

"You're right. Lunch it is."

-Harry POV-

I don't think it's hard to like me.

I mean, I'm practically the perfect person. I love my mother, and I don't give her shit about anything. I'm popular, where all the girls in the school want me, and all the guys in the school want to be me. I'm pretty sure some guys in the school actually want me too. But who's saying.

But there just had to be some guy who decides to go against me. And with my luck, he was the best looking guy in the whole school.

Yeah. With my luck, he was better than the rest.

Louis Tomlinson… his perfect body, he was lean, but he wasn't stick thin. He had the prettiest eyes… a crystal blue color. His hair was so gorgeous, beautiful enough to say that it was placed by God himself on his head. And his ass? Sweet fucking God. The best part- you could tell he wasn't even trying.

I've always thought he was hot, too. The first time I saw him- I knew he was all mine, and everyone knew it. Ever since, the guys have left him alone, knowing what I could do to them if they didn't.

Unfortunately, he didn't fall for my pick-up lines.

When he turned me down, I was pretty pissed off. I mean, who does he think he is? Coming right on into my territory, daring to go and reject me, the most popular person at the school like that? I mean, come on.

Well, he's definitely a nobody now, after I got through with him.

Look, I know spreading rumors about someone is shitty, but seriously- he was the one who turned the most popular guy in school down, he should expect something bad to happen. He was the one who thought it would be okay to go ahead and reject me.

That's a big no-no.

I smiled as I entered the school, the school that I practically owned, all to myself. I just didn't have to deal with any money crap. I was a pretty smart guy, so if one day the teachers actually got smart and gave the school over to me, I know I could handle it.

I mean, I was smart enough to be in the same classes as Tomlinson, and still get straight A's. But don't tell anyone that.

As soon as I walked in the school, there were two girls that I couldn't remember the names of, waiting for me. They both were dressed in clothes two sizes too small. Their tits were practically pouring out of their shirts.

I can't believe they actually think I like that. Am I really that bad?

Oh well. Comes with popularity, might as well use it, right?

"Hello ladies," I greeted, using a husky voice.

They both smiled, and clung on my arms. I smirked, knowing just how to get those type of girls just what they want. I just know how to make them like me. Like I said before- I'm perfectly likable.

"Harry, I'm having, like, a party tonight. You should like, totally come!" the brunette on my right said. I knew she wasn't a real brunette, because it wasn't as real-looking as Louis’s. And I think we all know Louis was too 'innocent' to dye his hair.

The red-head on my left squealed. "You should totally come!"

I thought about it. There would probably be people having sex, drugs, alcohol, and girls dressed in less than what they were wearing right now. That really doesn't seem too appealing… but to keep up my image…

I nodded, causing the two to squeal, again, in delight.

God, if they keep on doing that my ears are going to start bleeding.

The two squealers tugged me along to where all my friends usually hang out. My friends; Mitch Rowland, Liam Payne, Cory Calder, and Zayn Malik, are all pretty insane. We've been a group of friends since middle school, and I've been friends with Liam and Zayn for even longer.

I know popularity isn't what got them to be my friends, which is always good. I also know that I could go to them with anything, which is also good too.

The only annoying thing is that Cory‘s twin sister, Eleanor, is Louis's best friend. Liam and I don't understand why Eleanor would actually want to hang out with him, especially after what he did to me. He practically humiliated me in front of the whole school.

I guess that causes some tension between the two of them, and they fight a lot.

We came up on them, and I smiled as I saw my friends. Only Cory and Liam played football with me, but the other guys played soccer… If you can't play football, you play soccer!

I've gotten pummeled a few times for saying that in front of them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Haz," they said in unison.

"Okay, creepy guys."

Mitch punched my shoulder jokingly. "Would you rather have us ignore you? Cause' that could be arranged."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up Mitch."

He put his arms up in a surrender fashion. "I can't help what comes out of this thing, I've never bothered to put a filter there," he said, gesturing to his mouth. We all laughed at that.

"So… what's up with you and Kendall? We heard you two weren't dating anymore," Liam said, raising an eyebrow. Damn. Forgot to tell them about that.

"Broke up with her before spring break. She hated how I 'wasn't there for her', and how I 'spent too much time arguing with Tomlinson to talk to her'. I mean, how self-centered can a girl get?"

The guys just shrugged, and I was glad they could read me well, because I honestly didn't want to talk about it. I mean, how could I have been arguing too much with Tomlinson, anyways? I only argue with him, even if I do it a lot, doesn't mean I don't have time for a girlfriend.

It didn't take long for the rest of the starting football players to get over here, along with some other babes, even if they wore shirts and shorts too small for them, they were still babes in my book. 

"Dude, you going to the party? This little angel here asked me, and I'm sure you could come if you wanted too," I announced, smiling as all my friends nodded, thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"I'm in. I could use a little party after the fight I had with my sister. She told me I was a little stuck-up pretty boy," Cory said, rolling his eyes. "At least I bother to have some class when it comes to picking my friends."

"Well she was right about one thing- you are pretty," I joked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Cory slapped it off.

"Now I'm not so sure I was right about the 'class' thing."

I shook my head, and flashed him a smile. "I'm not so sure you were either, bro."

"Please tell me there isn't going to be booze at this party, cause' I don't think I can take my drink being spiked, again," Liam sighed.

"Man up. We aren't taking you to a party if you keep on acting like a priss," Zayn spoke, talking to Liam slowly. The rest of us nodded in agreement, stifling our laughter.

I looked down at the babes who were still holding on my arms. I sighed, trying to just shake it off. Of course I couldn't literally shake it off, but I could do it in my head.

Shake, shake, shake.

That's better.

I was talking to Mitch when Cory got my attention, clapping my back. "Look who the cat dragged in," he whispered, looking at the entrance of the hallway.

I saw a familiar head of brown curls, and a head of styled blonde hair right next to it, which could only mean one thing- Tomlinson and Eleanor decided to walk down the popular hallway.

I smirked, internally planning what I was going to do to Tomlinson. 

"What are you doing here?"

No, not mean enough.

"Why are you even here?"

Nope. Sounds like I want him to go die.

"What bring you here, Tomlinson? I don't know… pretending to be popular? Sorry son, but that's for your dreams only."

Definitely not. Too long.

I looked around to try to find Tomlinson, but I couldn't find him. Dang, I took too long. Stupid slowness. Well, I guess we always have lunch.

"Hey Styles! Why did you break up with Kendall?"

Speak of the Devil.

I turned to look at Tomlinson, who was standing there with his arms crossed, and his signature 'don't mess with me' look on his face. Yep. Same as always.

Immediately, I made sure my signature smirk was plastered on my face. "Got bored. Why, you looking for a date?"

He crossed his arms and glared at me. Oh, it is so on. "Like I'd be dumb enough to date you."

My friends acted like I just got pwned. But I was just getting started. I shrugged it off. "Just face it, Louis Tomlinson. You have a crush on me."

He blushed.

Yes, Tomlinson actually blushed. Ha!

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

He glared at me, and I knew I got him. He was practically cornered up like a little mouse being caught by a cat. Got him right where I wanted him.

I don't really know what happened next. I guess I went into 'autopilot' mode, and I don't really know what caused me to do it… but it did.

I took the girl next to me, the one who was holding my arm, and pulled her in for a make-out session. She moaned a little in the kiss, and I could tell she thought she was feeling something. To be honest, I felt nothing at all.

Well, besides how she was digging her nails in my neck. And that hurt pretty bad.

I quickly pulled away, not bothering to look back down at her. I knew she was totally blissed out. I just made my facial expression go back into a taunting smirk.

"Too bad for you, even if you have a crush on me," Which we all know you do; I acted out a thoughtful expression, again, not really knowing where this was coming from. "I'd never date you."

Woah. Did I really just say that?

I looked at Tomlinson, and saw a hurt expression on his face. From where I was, I thought I could see tears in his eyes, but I couldn't be sure.

Yeah. I really did just say that.

The people around me started laughing, but I turned around to see my friends, who looked uncomfortable. They felt the same as me.

My eyebrows scrunched together, and I tried to get the hurt expression that Tomlinson had out of my head. I've never seen his like that before… Dammit. I'm officially a bastard. Why did I go so far?

The people around me were still laughing, and some people even tried to give me a high five, but I didn't do anything to acknowledge them.

I've officially gone too far.

-Louis POV-

At lunch, I usually sat with all my friends, and luckily for Kendall, we had one open seat at our table.

"Okay guys, not to surprise you or anything, but-"

"Harry Styles is going to come and whisk you away on a date before our very eyes?" Briana joked, and winked when I glared at her. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Okay, well, what I was going to say was-"

"Hey Louis!"

What was this? Cut-Off Louis Day?

I turned around to see Kendall standing there with her tray. I decided to cut her out of her misery, since she looked uncomfortable enough, standing there.

"Kendall's sitting with us today, okay? Her and I got talking in English, and we actually turned out to have things in common."

Eleanor snickered, a bit, but everyone else looked shocked. Kendall took the open seat between me and Niall.

"Louis, you make it seem like you are going to date her or something," Eleanor said, snickering even more.

"Will you fuckin' shut up? I'm gay!" I asked, turning to look at the idiot next to me.

Eleanor just shrugged, and got back to eating her lunch. I looked around the table, and saw that the rest of my friends escaped their shock, and shook it off when Eleanor lightened the mood.

That's why I keep her around.

"Louis, about what I was talking to you in English about, I just wanted to say I was sorry for being a brat to you in the past… well, to you all in the past. I kinda got a little kick in the ass by an old friend of mine, and I got a reality check from that." Kendall looked down, and her hand came to run through her brown hair, telling me she was stressed.

"Look, the fact that you apologized to all of us is good enough. We, well, I forgive you," I said, giving her a small smile.

"I forgive you too. I know what a douche my brother can be." Eleanor smiled, showing her soft side.

Briana and Niall shared a look before looking at Kendall, a smile on their faces. "We forgive you too."

Kendall smiled at them, and started to pick at her food, so I chose to follow, trying to see what was actually edible in the lunch I was given.

"But looks like someone doesn't exactly like us talking." I looked up to see Briana, who had just spoken, looking past me, glaring.

I turned around, and saw Styles and his followers, glaring at us. Guess they don't like how Kendall decided to come to the good side. Who cares if we don't have cookies.

A gave a quick little wave, a flutter of my fingers. God, it felt nice to make people embarrassed, saying that Harry and his minions whipped around the second I smiled. 

I turned back around, and smiled at my friends, which now included Kendall. "Welcome to a start of something new, ladies and gents."

Lunch after that, well, after we got used to feeling someone looking at the back of our heads, went smoothly. Kendall talked about how she would travel with her parents sometimes, and it turns out we actually had more in common that I thought. She was left home alone too, but she had maids and a butler to keep her company, which made it easier.

At least she doesn't have to worry about cleaning.

My other friends acted like they genuinely liked her, and that made me pretty proud of myself. Looks like I got another friend!

Sorry if you don't find that exciting like I do.

After lunch, I had to go to the new class, Greek Mythology. This was the first day in that class, considering the trimesters changed after we went on spring break.

I had really wanted to take this class considering I've pretty much learned about this stuff my whole life. My mother would tell me bedtime stories based off Greek myths that she knew. I would love to know where they all came from, though.

I had a feeling I was going to really love this class.

When I walked in the classroom, I was taken aback as I saw all of the cool looking artifacts. There was things that looked like they belonged in the museum in here, and I just looked at them in awe, knowing that no other classroom in the school showed this much history.

I unconsciously clutched my Ancient Greek book tighter.

"Ah, Mister Tomlinson. A pleasure to have you in my class." I turned around to be looking at someone in a wheelchair. Must be Mr. Brunner, the teacher.

I smiled down at him, and he wheeled past me to his desk. It looked cluttered, yet organized, and I smiled, remembering how my mother used to be like this.

He looked around for something, and grabbed a clipboard that I figured was probably a seating-chart. Probably for attendance stuff.

He looked back up at me and smiled. "I'd like you to sit in the back with-" he cut himself off, looking at someone behind me. "Mr. Styles, just in time."

I turned around to be face to face with Styles. I glared at him, and he didn't waste any time to glare at me right back. "Hello, Mr. Brunner," Styles acknowledged him politely. Then it was right back to our glare-off.

"Mister Tomlinson, Mister Styles, I'd like you to take a seat in the back middle of the class," he smiled at us, and he looked a little amused. "You two are going to be partners, this semester."

-Louis POV-

I was absolutely pissed off.

How could Mr. Brunner do this? I mean, he had to have known about how bad of a student Harry probably is, and how great of a student I am! It's just not right to have us be partners. He's going to slow me down- keep me from reaching my full potential.

And he's probably going to make my life a living hell.

I looked at Styles, and his face was a mirror image of what I thought mine would probably be like. It was red, his eyes showing pure anger.

"Mr. Brunner, in all respect, I absolutely cannot sit next to him for the rest of the semester!" I exclaimed, cringing at the thought of actually being Styles's partner.

"Mister Tomlinson, I am sorry you think that way. But this can't be changed," Mr. Brunner said. "You two just have to find a way to get along with each other."

"But that's crazy! He probably can't even spell his own name correctly while I can speak it in multiple languages. You have to be kidding me here. He's going to do nothing but hold me back, Mr. Brunner."

Mr. Brunner, though, seemed to disagree with me. "Now, you obviously don't know-"

Styles cut him off. "You think I'm going to hold you back Tomlinson? You think I'm not good enough to be at your level or something?"

"Well you certainly seem smart enough to know what I'm saying," I said, sounding shocked. 

"But how is that possible?"

That seemed to make Styles tick. "I actually work hard in school, Tomlinson. Looks like you've assumed about something that you actually had no idea about."

"Why would you out of all the people in this school, be able to work hard enough to be my partner?" I asked. "Now, something about that seems off to me."

"Putting yourself on a pedestal that easily, huh? Who's the self-centered one now?" Styles smirked at me, getting that daring look in his eyes as if he knew a come-back to anything you might say.

"Why you little shi-". 

"That's enough!"

Styles and I stopped fighting, but continued on glaring at each other. Mr. Brunner wheeled himself in between the two of us, and looked up at us in what I thought was amazement.

"I've never seen two teenagers, both who have much in common, fight like this. Now, I know you both are smart enough to understand me- if you ever act like this in my classroom again, you are going to the office, and will have to speak to the principal himself about your actions. Do I make myself clear?"

"But Mr. Brunner-"

"No buts, Mister Tomlinson. I do not tolerate that kind of behavior in my classroom."

Styles snickered a bit at the word 'but' and Mr. Brunner gave him a body chilling stare, cueing Styles to shut his mouth with a 'snap'. He scratched his head anonymously, as if that didn't just happen. But I saw it.

I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from bursting out in a laugh. I mean, I've never had Mr. Brunner before as a teacher, but considering he just shut Styles up like that- he's gotta be one of the best in this building. I've never seen that before.

I nodded, and paused for a second when I noticed that the whole class was watching us like we were some kind of TV show that no one could get enough of. Where's the popcorn?

I blushed, but still held my ground, glaring at Styles. He glared back at me, and I swear I could see a little brush of red on his cheeks. This was quite the revelation. I guess Styles actually does have blood going through his veins.

Looking at him with that death glare was getting a little annoying. I decided to get a move on and go to my assigned seat, feeling like a preschooler. I mean, when was the last time I had assigned seats in a class? How about never?

I took my seat, sitting down angrily while crossing down my arms. Styles smirked at me before he went to take his seat right next to mine. Why did Mr. Brunner have us sit next to each other?

Styles took his time sitting down, making a show about how he was disgusted to sit next to me. I was seriously getting pissed off at his antics, and as soon as he lowered his butt down to the chair, I kicked it away ever so slightly.

Making him fall flat on his ass.

Everyone started laughing, and I smiled in triumph. I lost my 'bad kid’ attitude, and uncrossed my arms to set them pleasantly on the top of my desk. I'll even admit that I did wear a smirk, but it was directed to the girls that 'loved' Harry and were glaring at me.

Mess with the bull, you get the horns… Mess with Louis Tomlinson, you fall flat on your ass.

My smirk lasted for only a second longer as I remembered how Mr. Brunner didn't want us to fight or whatever, and that if we did we would have to talk to the principal about our actions. And what did I just do? I'm so fucking stupid! Bad Louis. Bad!

My eyes widened as I looked over to see Mr. Brunner looking at me with a frown. I sunk in my seat and looked down at my desk, suddenly finding the little dots everywhere very interesting. I heard Styles sit back into his chair very loudly and I sank even deeper into the chair.

Mr. Brunner started his lesson as soon as the class calmed down. He wheeled himself around the classroom, through the rows of desks as he explained what we were going to learn this semester, and his expectations for us.

"The exam at the end of this semester is going to cover over four main topics. The age of the Titans, the age of the gods, the many heroes of Greek Mythology, and lastly, why the Greeks believed in the gods and Titans. I believe in learning through hearing and seeing. I do not force anyone of you to read books to get facts on Ancient Greece, but I do want you to at least listen to the stories, and see the history that Greece is full of."

Mr. Brunner took a second to acknowledge a hand raised in the air. "Yes, what is your question?"

"How can we study, then? I mean, if we don't have any books or stuff to study with, how will we do well on tests?"

Mr. Brunner was wheeling on by me, and I stiffened when he stopped right next to my desk. What did I do now?

"Mister Tomlinson, will you please answer that question? It seems you have a head start on the studying technique for this class."

I looked up at Mr. Brunner questionably. What did he mean I have a head start?

"Of course he does," I heard Styles mumble next to me. I turned to glare at him, but he just rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window that was on his side of the room. Shaking it off, I turned around to look at Mr. Brunner again.

"I'm sorry… I have no idea what you mean by that," I explained truthfully.

Mr. Brunner chuckled, and took the Ancient Greek book off my desk. "I'm talking about this. You're reading some of the epics by Homer. I usually don't expect my students to read more into Homer until we talk about him. Also, this book itself is written in Ancient Greek- a dead language. I definitely do not expect my students to be able to read it."

I blushed when I felt everyone's eyes on me, but most specifically the glare from someone right next to me that was burning at the back of my head. "My mother taught me. She went to Greece quite often and brought the language back with her." I explained softly, trying to not drag any more attention on me.

Mr. Brunner nodded and wore a thinking look on his face, then turned back to me slightly. "Johannah, right?"

I looked shocked for a second, then got a hold of myself and nodded. I didn't know that any teacher of mine would know about my mother, normally people don't care enough to know about who does math and design for NASA and who stops in all over the country to help top-notch professors.

I guess Mr. Brunner did.

He started wheeling forward, and talked about how we were going to go into depth this year and stuff. To be honest, I really wasn't listening. I just couldn't understand how Mr. Brunner could know my mother. All of her teachings were given somewhere other than New York.

In fact, right now, she was in Penn State.

My thoughts were cut off when I was jabbed in the hands by something thin, and it hurt a lot.

I looked down and saw a piece of paper, and a paper cut on my hand to go with it. I looked at Harry weirdly, but he just continued to stare at the front of the classroom anonymously. Like he didn't know what was going on.

I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. I mean, passing notes? Seriously? Kill me now.

I shook my head, amazed at myself when I opened the paper. I didn't really like that paper after it gave me a nice paper cut. Those things sting, you know? It's like Chinese torture.

I looked down at the paper, and had to hold back a laugh at what I read.

You know pushing chairs out from under people is illegal in some countries, right?

I quickly wrote something back, my messy handwriting looking messier that I would think next to his.

I'm not aware of that. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

I slipped the paper to him under our desks, and he snatched it back from me rudely. Ok then… A few seconds later I was met with the paper again.

Well you better watch out. You never know when something like that will come back to bite you in the ass.

I glared at the paper, annoyed at Styles's antics. I quickly wrote back, pretty much stabbing the paper with my pencil before I could get started in anger.

fuck you.

I handed it to him, and he snickered when he read it. Mr. Brunner looked over at us weirdly, and I just shrugged, as if I wasn't really sure what was going through his head either.

Styles handed the paper back to me, and I choked at what I read.

Sure. Where and when, babe?

I meant metaphorically. Not physically, you idiot. Besides, I thought you would never date me, right? Or are you a liar?

Be careful at who you're calling a liar, Tomlinson.

Make me.

You're a liar. You're cold to everyone who wants to get close to you just because you think no one is good enough for you, Tomlinson. Face it- you're no better than me.

I took a deep breath, glaring down at the paper, and wrote back stiffly.

So you're admitting you’re bad, huh? You're saying that I'm at your level… I though no one was at your level, Styles.

You just wish you were like me. That's why you're so cold. You don't get what you want, and you act like a two year old.

Who said I wanted to be like you? If I was like you, I'd dig myself a hole and die in it because of how self-centered I would be.

Okay. Go ahead and dig yourself a hole right now because Tomlinson- you are JUST like me.

"Mister Styles. Mister Tomlinson. What is going on here?"

I sat up rigidly, and turned slowly to see Mr. Brunner sitting there, looking at us with a small smile. I tried to make a cover for myself. "Mr. Brunner, we were just-"

"Mister Tomlinson, you were passing notes, is that correct?"

"Yes, but-"

"You are aware that I told you to not fool around with Mister Styles, or there would be consequences, is that correct?"

Styles decided to be stupid and step in to hold his name. Jerk. "Mr. Brunner, we were only-"

"You were only passing notes. Now, I want you two out of this classroom and in the office right now."

I huffed grabbing my things and walked out of the classroom. I heard Styles behind me, and walked a little faster, but I didn't at the same time. I couldn't believe that I was actually getting sent to the office. This had never happened to me before.

It's worse than detention.

"You know this is all your fault, right?"

I turned around to face the smelly bucket of nose drool that had just spoken to me.

"How is it my fault?" I asked, angered at his accusation. He was the one who actually started this whole note-passing thing. Besides, what did I do wrong?

"Brunner caught you with the note! Not me. Besides, your facial expressions definitely gave you away at the end, there." Styles smiled at me coldly.

"And who started this whole note thing? If you wouldn't have started this, then I wouldn't have gotten us caught, therefore, we wouldn't have to be walking to the office right now!" I exclaimed, ending in a shout.

How can this guy make me so mad? Someone please tell me, because this has to stop.

"I happen to remember you kicking the seat from under me. You should be smart enough to know that I would do something to counteract that, Tomlinson!"

"So you're admitting you did something stupid?"

"No! I'm just proving the point here! You were the one who provoked me to do this!"

I couldn't say anything back to him. I shook my head in disbelief. I clenched my jaw, glaring the living right out of him.

"I can't believe you actually think this was my fault. You obviously started this, you were the one who started the fight, but I'm going to be the one to end it. I don't want anything to do with you, Harry Styles."

I stalked away from him, walking towards the office.

"Tomlinson! Wait up!"

I chose to ignore him and I walked even faster, trying to clear my mind. It was apparent that Harry Styles was the very bane of my existence, and the one person that I could definitely live a long and happy life without.

So why did he want to talk to me?

I felt a strong hand grasp onto my shoulder, and turn me around. Immediately I crossed my arms, a steely glare coming into my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry… that was out of line, and I'm sorry. I want to be able to have a somewhat-truce in Greek Mythology."

I looked at him shocked. Did I really just hear what I heard?

"This must be a first. The great Harry Styles apologizing to someone," I announced, waving my hands in the air as if I were an announcer.

I have a thing for dramatics.

"It's actually not a first. And I'm actually genuinely sorry. I was out of line… it was too personal."

I was about to say something, but I was cut off from the main intercom.

"This school is now under a lockdown, get to a secure room, students. This is not a drill! I repeat- this is not a drill!"

I looked at Styles, wide-eyed.

He looked at me too, his face a mirror of mine.

I watched as something snapped inside of him, and how he dragged me into the nearest room… the girl's restroom.

"Styles, this is the girls! And I have a feeling we both know we are not girls!"

He scoffed, and looked out of the bathroom for a second before dragging me into the large handicapped stall.

"Sure, and I also have a feeling that this situation outbids the fact that we’re guys," he whispered, giving me a look, telling me to keep my mouth shut.

I shook my head, lowering myself to the ground. I can't believe that this is happening. I mean, I'm stuck in a lockdown with Styles, in the girl's bathroom.

This has got to be the worst day in the history of worst days ever.

Styles sat next to me, leaning against the wall. I had my head in my hands, trying to keep myself calm. What if the person is out there? What if they find us?

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We're going to be fine," Styles tried to coax, and instead of glaring, I actually for the first time in a long time- let my guard down.

"I'm scared," I admitted, a tear falling from my eye.

Styles did something that surprised me… he wiped it away. Is that crazy or what?

"I told you, we're going to be alright. Trust me," he whispered.

In that split second, all of the sudden there was a bang on the door leading into the girl's bathroom. Where we were.

I had to hide the shriek, burying my head into Styles's shirt. If not for the situation, I would spit in his shirt just to get him mad, but to be honest; I think that would be a bit out of line.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Louis Tomlinson."

My breath came out in short gasps, and I held onto Styles for dear life. I felt him hold onto me tighter when the guy said my name, something even Styles hasn't really done in a long time.

I heard him kick the stall doors open, one by one, as he got the one we were in. I was shivering, cowering into Styles, who I'm sure was just trying to stay strong for me… which sounded kind of weird when you think of it.

The man finally got to the stall we were in, and kicked it open.

My eyes widened as I saw exactly who it was. I knew this guy.

I can't believe it… I thought he was gone forever.

"Found you, Lou."

I was staring into the ice cold, dead blue eyes of my childhood friend.

Nick Grimshaw.

The man who was supposed to be locked up in prison for abusing his loved ones.

I took a strangled breath, strangely finding it hard to breath.

Chloroform, I thought, as the world faded into darkness.


	2. the game has only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!  
> In this chapter, things do get a bit violent, so i'm asking you skip this chapter if you can't handle mentions of drinking problems, drug problems, anorexia, forms of mental torture, and involuntary murder.  
> Wow, makes this book seem straight out of a crime documentary.  
> This chapter is 11k words, holy shit. I believe it'll keep getting longer as we progress through the story.  
> Enjoy!

-Louis POV-

Have you ever woken up in the dark, opening your eyes to see nothing at all? Have you ever felt that feeling of panic that you get- the sense that you are blinded, that your main sense of security… wasn't there?

Well, I just did.

I woke up in pitch black, total darkness. My heart started beating faster, and I started to breath heavy. I was still groggy from the sleep, and I had a horrible headache, so It was hard to possibly comprehend anything.

Where am I?

My body tensed up when I heard moaning, someone else's voice, and I tried to move my arms to shield myself from whoever was there. I couldn't see them, and I didn't like it at all.

The weird thing was, I couldn't move my arms. When I did, they were restrained back, being held down by an invisible force. I tried to move them again, thrashing my hands around with my wrists. I felt something cold around my wrists, something that felt like a metal.

I moved my arms again, feeling the same restraint, but I used something else that would help me out. My ears. I heard the familiar sound of chains clanking against a solid floor, and I immediately knew what was going on.

I'm chained to something… maybe a wall? Or perhaps a pipe…

I got an idea off of a crime show I watched with my mother one time, and tried to move my legs to I could position myself better to see if I could find something, maybe a piece of loose debris, to pick the lock and maybe find out where I was.

That was when I realized that my legs, like my arms, were being restrained. I couldn't move them either. Well, there goes the plan of actually picking the lock.

I tried to focus in on something that was across from me, to see if I could pinpoint where I was. Or, in any case, find something that could help me get out of these chains. To be honest, they were starting to really freak me out.

My thoughts stopped when I heard yet another moan. I had passed the first one off as maybe a hallucination of the dark, but now I wasn't so sure.

I stopped breathing, trying to see if I could hear anything else. My eyes snapped from place to place, trying to place an identity to what moaned. I started to tremble, finally coming to the fact that I didn't know what to do. That my thought process wasn't going to help me on this one.

This is the first time I have no idea what to do… and I feel helpless.

Helpless? That's new.

"Ugh, where am I?"

I was knocked into silence from the voice that had come from right in front of me. My body tensed, and I scooted back on my butt as far as I could, hitting a hard surface that I had been leaning on, using it as my rock.

Unfortunately, with that little move, my chains rattled, informing whoever… or whatever spoke, that I was there.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Wait… I recognized that voice. The same person who had teased me on end, and I will admit to the fact that I was also as guilty as he was in that department.

But what was Styles doing here?

I tried to remember what happened, because obviously something pretty big had to go down for us to be in a dark room together. With me chained…

Ugh. Why is this the situation?

I know for a fact it wasn't that, because my clothes were still on. And, it would take nothing for me to do that with Styles. And I'm using nothing in the context that it would never happen. If anything happened, that wouldn't. I would rather die.

"Hellooo! Whoever's there, speak now!"

I rolled my eyes, already feeling more comfortable than I was before when I didn't know what was in front of me. But even now, I was still pretty uncomfortable- in the annoyed department.

To shut him up, I decided to make myself known. "Woof. Now fucking shut up, I'm thinking here."

I could start to see a little better than I originally had before. Now, I was able to see the outline of things, but just barely. There must have been some light in here, which I'm guessing might be from the door, but it's probably behind me considering that wherever I look, there's not a door in sight.

"Okay doggie. Who are you?"

I looked in the general direction where Styles was, and glared.

"Wouldn't you like to know? At least I can recognize that voice from anywhere, Styles."

"Tomlinson? What are you doing here? Hell, what am I doing here?"

I sighed, trying to think through my new headache. The one from waking up faded, and now Styles just caused my head to hurt. Yeah, what was he doing here?

"Look, I have no idea where we are, okay? Now, do me a favor and shut up so I can figure this out."

I could just imagine him rolling his eyes, but after a long time of silence, I knew he listened to me.

Going back through my mind, I tried to remember the last thing I did before this happened. I remembered going to school, seeing Eleanor, who brought me through the hallway… Styles and I's fight, the library, Kendall talking to me, lunch, figuring out Harry was my partner…

Then it just turns blank.

I can't remember anything after that. I mean, I know there's something that had to happen during that time, but I just can't put my finger on it. Now, I officially feel lost. And that's a first too.

"Um… Styles, I can't remember what happened," I said sheepishly. This was the first time before I've ever admitted something like that to him.

"Well I don't either, so that's a bust," Styles said, sighing. "Besides, I can't believe Tomlinson of all people can't remember something. Don't you have photographic memory or something?"

I glared his outline. "I don't have photographic memory, dumbass. Do you really think I would waste my time going to high school if I did? All I have is just a really good memory. I got nothing on those photographic people."

"Well, excuse me. I was just trying to help."

Believe me. If I could move my arms right now, this would be the perfect time to do a facepalm.

That's when a pretty smart thought struck me. What if Harry remembers more than I do? I mean, if he actually does remember more than I do, he could help me remember it, too. Then, hopefully with that extra kick to the brain, I'll remember what happened.

Well, that would help.

"Since you're trying to help, would you bother to tell me what you do remember?" I asked, my voice echoing in the silence.

I could practically hear the gears turning in his head, which makes sense, because everyone can tell that Harry Styles doesn't use his brain too much. "Well, I remember some stuff," he said in a leading tone.

"Like what?"

"I remember lunch, finding out you were my partner, us fighting in the class, and then there was a lockdown…" his voice trailed off as he was pulled into his thoughts again.

Maybe this was actually getting somewhere…

"A lockdown?" I asked, curious. I didn't remember this.

"That's what I remember."

I tried to remember again, thinking back to Mr. Brunner's room, trying to start back at what I actually could remember.

I closed my eyes, and I was met with colors coming and going, noises and sounds coming out of nowhere. They were familiar, that's for sure. I knew they meant something, but I couldn't figure out exactly what. And that was pretty much making me start to twitch.

Well, if you know what I mean.

That's when I started to see things.

_Styles falling on his ass._

__

_Styles passing me a note, resulting in giving me a paper cut._

__

__

_Mr. Brunner asking me a question, acknowledging my Ancient Greek book._

__

__

_Being kicked out of the classroom, told to go to the principal himself._

__

__

_The lockdown, how severe it was._

__

__

_Being in the girl's bathroom with Styles, hiding in the large stall._

__

__

_Clutching Styles’s shirt for dear life as he called out and then seeing him. The one I've been running from. Nick Grimshaw._

__

__

At that moment everything cut off, fading to black as if it were a movie that I've been watching. It was kind of like that, but when I opened my eyes, I was looking at the outlines of Styles, now knowing exactly what happened, for us to be here.

We were fucking kidnapped.

_Kidnapped._

__

__

We were actually taken from the school during a lockdown. I could feel the fear of before creeping back up on me, threatening to make me start tearing up. I didn't want to be here, especially when Nick Grimshaw of all people was the person who took us in the first place.

That's what scared me the most.

_Nick Grimshaw._

__

__

I started to breath heavily, hyperventilating even, and I started to tremble. I'll admit a few tears fell from my eyes, even. That's how scared I was.

How scared I am.

"Tomlinson? You all right over there?"

Of course. Styles would have heard me and my little crying fit, and of course he would have to be the one person who would never let me live this down if he knew I was scared. But he didn't have his memory back yet. He would be pretty freaked out, too, if he knew what happened to us.

I took deep breath after deep breath, trying to contain my emotions. Inside, I was absolutely terrified, but of course I couldn't show that. I've watched crime shows, I've seen enough Criminal Minds to know that if I showed fear that my captor would just feed off from it.

Besides, Styles just happens to be right in front of me, and no way in hell am I letting him see, or in this case, hear, me cry.

No way in hell.

I took another shaky breath before responding. "Yeah, Styles. I'm just bloody fine, alright?"

Now, I could practically see him roll his eyes. "Yeah, and I've been nominated for the world's smartest person. What's wrong?"

I looked at the outline of his body, shocked. He actually sounded like he cared.

"You know what's happening to us, right?" I asked, just making sure he didn't know that we were kidnapped. I mean, I know I somehow knew I was after seeing myself chained, but I guess it just took that confirmation to let it really set in.

"Nope. Not a clue."

Well, looks like someone is clueless.

"Styles, we're chained. We were in a lockdown at the school, and the next thing we remember, we're chained to what I think are poles in a dark room. We aren't meant to see where we are for a reason, I suppose."

"What do you mean, Tomlinson?"

"What I mean, Styles, is that we are kidnapped."

At that moment, you could've heard a pin drop. He had stopped breathing, I guess, in shock. I heard some chains rattle, and I knew they weren't mine.

"W-What do you mean, we're kidnapped?"

"When I say we're kidnapped, it means that we're kidnapped. As in someone took us, and is holding us like we're hostages. The only difference is that no one actually knows where we are."

His voice was quieter now. "That's insane."

I shrugged, on impulse. Of course he couldn't see me, I spoke. "I suppose. But it's the truth, Styles. Now we just have to find a way to get out of this mess and-"

He cut me off. "Don't die?"

"Yeah," I said. "Don't die."

"This is bizarre."

I shook my head, disagreeing with him. Actually, under the circumstances, the fact that Nick was actually looking for me, and that he came into the school, armed, and found me with Styles in the girl's bathroom… was actually all just a mere freak thing.

Well, it was freak for Styles. But I had this coming.

We lapsed into a silence, going off into our own worlds, really just trying to understand that fact, to concept the fact that we were actually kidnapped. I'm pretty sure Styles never had this planned out for his Junior year.

Well, I didn't either, but as I said before- I had this coming. I knew something like this was going to happen one day, but I never expected it to be with Styles, of all people. I knew Nick was after me, as he had told me that one day… but I always imagined a knight in shining armor coming to save me.

Styles was no knight in shining armor.

I sighed, and laid my head back on the pole… or whatever it was.

I was tired. I was tired of trying to figure things out all the time, getting stuck in these stupid situations, and just being the one who was always targeted.

I hated it.

"This is your entire fault, you know."

My head snapped up, and I glared at him. "And why is that?"

"I started to get back my memory. That psycho that took us… he called you Lou. He knew your name. But at the same time, he didn't do anything to acknowledge me. If I hadn't 'saved' you, and brought you to that stupid girl's bathroom to hide… I wouldn't be here, would I?"

He made a good point, considering that was what I was thinking about just minutes before. "Yeah, you're right."

I could tell that he was shocked. I mean, I was too, after hearing that come from my mouth. I practically never say those words… especially if I'm talking to Styles. "Wait… what?"

Yep. He was shocked.

"You're right. Damn, those words taste fucking disgusting!" I exclaimed, spitting, trying to do anything to get those words off my tongue. Metaphorically of course.

"You just said I'm right! Ha ha! Score!"

I sighed, rather loudly this time. Yet again, this was another perfect facepalm moment. "You do realize that we are kidnapped, right? With no way out?" I asked, laying it on heavy.

"Of course I do. I just chose to be a little more… happy, about it then you do."

"How can you be happy about a situation like this? You're an idiot."

"You can be happy about anything, Tomlinson! You should try to be easy-going once in your life."

"We are being held captive! Is there something that you don't understand about that? Because for me, that is painstakingly clear that we could die!"

Styles started to chuckle a bit, and that sent me over the top. What was the matter with this boy?

"What is the matter with you? Do you not understand that we could die?"

"Geez. I think you should take a chill pill and just relax for a second. I'm scared, yeah. Terrified even. But to be honest, we can't do anything in this situation. We could die, yeah, but right now there's nothing we can do about it. Obviously we have to wait. We have to wait for the opportunity to get out of here, and when that time comes, we will get out. I’ll tell you right now- we will get out of here."

I looked at his outline, and I could almost see that face. I knew he was looking courageous… something that I always wanted to be.

Something that he was.

All of the sudden, I jumped at least a few feet in the air when I heard the door slam open.

My eyes met with light, and I heard someone laughing, sounding cold and evil. I knew Styles and I were in for some trouble as soon as I squinted up to meet the eyes of Nick Grimshaw.

-Eleanor POV-

You want to know something really cool?

Yeah?

Well, for your information, my life fucking sucks.

Here I am, stuck sitting next to some little brat in English. I mean, all this girl does is talk about how Harry Styles was going to ask her out, and how he dumped Kendall for her. For her.

You see what I have to deal with every day? And when I say every day, I seriously mean every day. My guess is the teacher, Ms. Mason, is just trying to get Drew, the little brat, to take something from me, one of the best students in the class.

Instead, all Drew's doing is driving me crazy. I swear, the next time someone utters the name Harry Styles, I'm going to rip their head off. And whoever tries to stop me will get their head ripped off too. That's just how it works; you mess with Eleanor Calder, and you get your head ripped off.

And I'm pretty sure everyone in this school knows it, too.

Take the football players, for instance. They run like little girls every time they see me. It's quite hilarious actually- especially after what happened this morning… the next time I see them I have a feeling they're going to pee their fucking pants.

I can be a scary person when I want to be.

And right now I want to be.

Come on, she's doodling on her paper when we're supposed to be taking notes. The worst thing, though, is that she's doodling Mrs. Drew Styles in big bubble letters. I just looked forward at the teacher and took a deep breath.

Come on, Eleanor! You just gotta take a few deep breaths, forget about the brat, and you're home free!

English is the only class that I haven't lost my cool and had to leave the classroom in. I for one think that having to leave the classroom and see guidance counselors and the principal's is pretty elementary, and I think that they should find some other kind of punishment. I mean, I hit someone, and they start talking to me about maybe I need to reach out to someone or something. They treat me like I have problems.

I mean, do I sound like I have problems?

Just the idiots at this school that can't seem to leave me alone.

Turning my attention back the teacher, she droned on about how Shakespeare was a pure genius, which I can agree upon in some level, and she started to talk about Romeo and Juliet, one of the most well-known love stories of all time.

I wonder if she reads romance novels every night before she sleeps… that might explain the obsession with Romeo and Juliet. I swear this woman makes a reference to them in every sentence she speaks.

"Hey Eleanor? Your brother hangs out with Harry." She spoke his name like she was speaking of a god. "Has your brother mentioned something about me and Harry..." Drew nodded her head forward, in a leading action.

Her and Harry you know what? For some reason, I think she would be perfect for Harry.

I looked at Drew, thinking of what would happen if Cory and I actually tried to talk civilly. Hah. Yeah right.

My brother and I? Well, we haven't spoken civilly since Harry, his best friend, disrespected Lou. Since then, we really haven't been talking… just shouting. A lot of shouting. I know for a fact that the bond Cory and I used to have probably won't show ever again.

I looked at Drew's sad excuse of a pout, thinking of what would happen if Cory and I actually tried to talk civilly. Hah. Yeah right.

Might as well have an ambulance on site, too.

I started to tune my teacher in, and actually listened to what she was saying. She started to talk about how some literature started a revolution, how some small literature started something great- a resistance, a democracy…

She was lecturing us about the importance of literature again. I bet it was the kid in the front with the Justin Bieber hair that asked "Why is this so important, anyways?"

This is a total waste of my time, that's what it is.

Ms. Mason started to get back on the topic of Shakespeare again, but before she could re-start the lecture, something made my blood run cold.

"This school is now under a lockdown, get to a secure room, students. This is not a drill! I repeat- this is not a drill!"

I watched as all the students in the room started to whisper loudly to their table partners, as Ms. Mason ran around the room frantically, locking the door, turning off the lights, and shutting the blinds. She got the help of some of the athletic students, excluding me, to barricade the door.

I looked at a couple that had this class together, Crissy Henrik and John Jones, who were holding each other, and looking at the door with wide eyes.

I'm pretty sure I was the calmest one in the room, right now.

And to be honest, I really don't know why. I just have this feeling that we won't be hurt, or even come close to being hurt. But something was nagging at me.

I couldn't place what it was.

"Everyone! Get under your desks!"

I snapped out of it, and got under the table that the school excuses as a double student desk. So of course, Drew was right next to me, shaking in fear. The good part of me wanted to comfort her, but the awesome part of me told me to make her struggle.

I just closed my eyes, ignoring all the whispers of students praying, telling each other that this was just some elaborate prank, or just telling themselves that it was all going to be okay.

This never has happened to our school before, surprisingly enough. Our school is usually so protected… whoever got through the security must have had a really good reason to come in here. Any normal bad guy wouldn't come here… the head of security, Kian, was a scary guy. He made me cower in fear.

I started to get a little more nervous about this whole thing. I mean, whoever decided to come into this school had to get past Kian, and whoever could get past him, obviously was even worse.

And I thought Kian was bad.

"We're gonna die!" Drew whispered loudly. I glared at her, silently telling her to shut up, but she opened her mouth again. "I won't get to marry Harry!"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. 10, 9, 8, 7…. What am I doing? Just shut her up dammit!

I opened my eyes and slapped her, lightly for me, but it must've been pretty hard for her. She looked at me with wide eyes. "Will you just shut the fuck up already? And by the fucking way, it would be ‘Harry and I’, not ‘Me and Harry’, even if I give a fuck who you wanna date," I asked, not bothering to whisper.

She continued to look at me with wide eyes, so to get a reaction, I rose my hand again- but this time she nodded really quickly and held her hands up in a surrender motion.

Good, she wasn't scared of the bad guy now… she was scared at me.

And silence. _Finally._

__

__

Well, not really.

The lockdown lasted for thirty more minutes, each minute going by, I started to get a little more worried than the last. I mean, what was happening that took so long? It couldn't have been good.

I just hope my friends are okay.

"Students, the buses are here, we are releasing you all early."

I smiled to myself, and our teacher walked out into the hallway to get the okay from someone from the office. There was something off, though. Something must've happened… it's not normal for us to be let out early.

It's never happened before.

Well, then again, our school has never experienced a real lockdown before, so I guess they kind of go hand in hand.

We left the classroom, and I went to the picnic table that Briana, Niall, Louis and I always meet at after school. When I walked towards the front entrance, I saw more and more cops. There were some taking stories from the office workers, and I saw Kian sitting on a chair and getting checked out by an EMT.

At that sight, I headed to the picnic table a little faster than I was before.

I saw that Briana was there; and her eyes looked a bit red, which was probably from crying with the past situation. I have a feeling Briana and Niall cried, but I know Louis is much too headstrong.

I'm pretty sure he's been through worse than this. You never know with Louis.

"Hey Briana! How are you?" I called, walking up to her. She looked really scared, and I knew that I'm probably the only one who was calm during that.

"Yeah… it was just so sudden, you know? And I just have this really bad feeling…" Briana explained, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I have a bad feeling, too. Did you read my mind or something?"

"No… or did you read mine? Oh, here comes Niall." Briana pointed to Niall, who was running over to us. Total ADHD moment… Once Ni got to us, he took us into a big hug. I immediately stiffened. I'm not one for the touchy feely stuff.

"Uhm… Niall? Enough with the touchy feely stuff please."

He immediately let go, and looked at me sheepishly. Wiping some tears from his eyes, she said, "I'm so glad you guys are okay."

I smiled at him, an actual genuine smile. "I'm glad you're okay, too, Niall."

He looked like he was about to hug me again, but before he could, I saw his brain work and he restrained herself.

"Have any of you seen Louis?" Briana asked.

Niall looked at her funny. "So he wasn't with you? Where is he then?"

They both looked at me, and I just shrugged, and looked at the school entrance, where dozens of students were still filing out of the school. Louis could just be stuck in traffic, or something.

But I have a feeling that's really not the case.

"Guys? I'm really starting to get a bad feeling here," Niall said. Briana and I looked at him ridiculously, experiencing the same thing. Okay, something was seriously not right here.

"Yeah, we hear you, Niall. We were just talking about that when you came out of the school," Briana explained. "Do you think something happened to Louis?"

I looked at her with a grave look in my eyes. "I hope not."

"So you guys have that bad feeling too? Oh, this is just getting worse and worse," Niall mumbled. He had a pout on his face, and I could see some tears in his eyes.

Briana and I shared a look before turning our heads to the school entrance, wordlessly hoping that Louis would come out, even though we knew that he probably wasn't really going to come out. I mean, what are the chances that we all had a really bad feeling at the same time, and that our best friend wasn't showing up after school… and during school hours, there was a lockdown.

What are the chances of that? Obviously something had happened to Louis. He wouldn't just forget to show up after school, especially at a time like this. And no wonder why there were so many cops here.

There must've been a big problem.

The number of students leaving the school slowly dwindled down to none, and I turned to look at my two friends, who were still looking at the front entrance with wide eyes. He still hadn't come out.

I looked back at the door, then back to my friends. "You know what guys? Let's just go home, and come back here tomorrow, okay? If he's not here tomorrow, we could drop by the front office and see what's up. Don't worry so much."

They forced smiles, and nodded. We walked off in separate directions, heading home. I walked alone, knowing Cory had probably already left. We never walk home together anyways, and sometimes he'll go to a friend's house, or I will… so usually we don't cross each other until dinner.

Dinner is the time when I have to try to get my mother to eat. She's not much of a mother, out partying more than Cory or I do, and she never eats during the day, claiming she's too fat. But in reality, she's actually stick-thin.

I don't know what to do with her anymore, I mean, Cory's no help. He's too much of a mommy's boy, taking her side with everything. He says that she eats already, just on a different time schedule. And I seriously think he's in denial.

But of course whenever I try to tell him that, he decides to go off about something else.

It's endless fighting.

I don't remember the last time our family actually was a family. I don't remember the last time we sat down together to eat dinner- and had not gotten in a fight. I don't remember the last time my mother was actually a mother, and I don't remember my father at all.

He left after Cory and I were born.

But for some reason, my mother still thinks he's going to come back, and after the years go by, she's starting to lose hope. She's starting to just go into self-destruct mode.

That's what she's doing… and every meal she skips, every drug that she takes in… she's one step closer to death. But at least she doesn't know the truth.

I decided to do some digging a while back, when Cory and I were in middle school, and had gotten along a little better. We found out that our father had passed away driving drunk, and had hit a tree. He was living in Washington at the time.

I know I have to be thankful that my mother doesn't know he's dead… because it gives her hope. Unfortunately lately with the steps she's been taking, I'm seeing the hope dwindle away.

And every step she takes, I try not to care, I try not to notice the smell of her breath, or the way her cheekbones stick out, or the dark spots under her eyes… I try not to notice it, because when I do, I feel like I'm losing everything.

Even though this is all kept inside.

I mean, Cory? Cory's in denial. He won't admit to himself that our mother is in self-destruct mode. He loves his mother, and she's always adored him. But I look too much like my father for her to be around me.

By the time I started to tune out those selfish thoughts, I was at my apartment complex. I hopped up the stairs to get to our home, and opened the door, shutting it carefully just so I wouldn't wake up my mother if she were sleeping.

When I turned around, I looked around the small apartment, and saw my mother lying on the couch, asleep. Walking over, I took the Vodka out of her hand and put a blanket over her.

She almost looks normal, now.

I capped the bottle and put it back in the cupboard before raiding the refrigerator. I took in the coolness of the air and used it as a relaxer before looking at the food, or the lack of food, that we had. Note- Get more food.

I sighed and closed it, settling for a few crackers from the little pantry by the fridge.  
I walked to my room and sat on my bed, trying to process what had happened during school. Nothing better to remember things with than a few crackers, right?

Right.

I started to get that achy gut feeling, remembering how Louis hadn't met us up at the picnic table today. It's really not like Louis to do that, and not tell us ahead of time. I mean, that guy has his priorities straight.

I sighed, and turned myself so I was laying down. I took my iPod from the side table, cranked up some Green Day, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day, I went to school like any other teenager on this earth. I was as nervous as hell, worried that Louis really wouldn't be there today, and that he actually did have something bad happen to him yesterday.

I normally don't get nervous, not like this. I have had my fair share of worries, but apart from my mother, this has to be the scariest moment of my life.

What if he's not at school today? What would I do?

To be honest, I don't really know what I would do.

When I got to the school, I immediately found Briana and Niall waiting for me, right by the entrance to school. "Has he come here yet?" I asked, hoping for the best, even though the sad look on their faces told me everything I needed to know.

"No… I'm starting to get really scared, Eleanor. This is really not like him. Not at all," Briana said, rubbing her face with her hand. "I'm starting to think something bad might've happened to him."

I nodded, and looked on ahead to the entrance. Through the glass doors, I could see students being directed one way, towards the gyms. Uh oh… this cannot be good. Not at all.

"Let's go inside, huh?" I asked my two weary friends. They nodded, and we walked inside together. Like I had seen before, there were teachers directing the students to the gyms, telling us that there was an emergency meeting that we all had to attend.

And whatever it was, I knew it couldn't have been good… and that it was somehow relating to Louis's vanishing act.

Briana, Niall, and I walked to the gyms and sat down in the already crowded bleachers together. I noticed some familiar faces, including my brother, and sighed with what could be relief. At least I know that I still have him around to haunt me for the rest of my days.

The Principals walked out to the middle of the gym in front of us, all of them wearing grave looks on their faces. Principal Janson, one of the scariest guys I've ever met, probably had the gravest face of them all.

"Students," he said, and immediately the gym was in an abrupt silence. "Yesterday we had a tragic event at this school. There were two students in the lockdown yesterday that unfortunately, have gone missing. The evidence leads to a kidnapping, and we ask if any of you know of anything that had happened yesterday, we ask that you come forth immediately."

He took a rather deep breath, and let it out in a long fashion. "The students missing are Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles. I hope whoever knows anything about this case will come forward, and the rest will be taken with the police. "

I gulped, and kept on looking forward, ignoring the stares my way, probably meant for my friends who were sobbing uncontrollably at my side. There were more important matters at hand.

Louis had been kidnapped.

-Louis POV-

"Hello Lou. Looks like you finally decided to wake up." His voice sent chills down my spine, and the tiny hairs on my arms were soon sticking straight up.

I decided to be bold, but my voice still shook. "What do you want, Nick?"

I could feel Styles stare at me. I knew he thought I was being stupid and reckless, but I knew that Nick wouldn't do anything to me… well, not yet anyways.

"Why Louis, you know that I wasn't finished with you last time. So now I have to start all over, and go back to beginning. I was lucky enough to catch you with Harry Styles, the more the merrier, isn't that right, Lou?"

I glared, but my breaths came out in gasps as memories threatened to come back to me and take me over. I couldn't let that happen, and let Nick think I was still as weak as I was before.

I'm stronger now.

"How do you know my name?" I heard Styles ask.

"How do I not know your name, Harry? You have quite the reputation, you know… messing with the people who aren't meant to be messed with."

I looked at Styles, confused. He was glaring at Nick, and I was amazed at how he could actually glare. And I thought my glare was scary.

"You don't know anything about me." Great, he's going to get himself killed.

Both Nick and I laughed. “You’re going to get yourself killed with that tone, Styles.” I said coldly. 

To my shock, Nick didn't look angry by that comment, only merely amused. "Lou’s right. And I do. Your mother lives with you in New York, and your father owns a multi-million dollar company working with marine life. You were born February 1st, 2001. You're the captain of your school football team and basketball team. You have a sister named Gemma, and she’s about to give birth to your second nephew named Arthur. Face it, Harry. I know more about you than you think."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see Styles's face in reaction to what Nick just told him. To be honest, I felt pretty bad for what had happened to him. I mean, it's my fault that we were in this mess.

Harry was silent after that.

"Lou, you need to explain what's going to happen to Harry. Wouldn't want to leave him blindsided, would we?"

And with that, Nick left, but not before turning on the light in the room- a single light bulb that didn't cover this whole space. Must be a basement or warehouse of some sort. I could see Styles clearly, though, and that would help with what I was going to have to tell him.

I looked at Styles, and our eyes met. "I think it's about time you tell me what's going on. He knows me, Tomlinson. I don't think this is going to end well."

His eyes searched mine, searching for a tell-tale sign that I knew something he didn't. And from the look on his face a split second later, he found one. "Tell me what's going on," he demanded.

Deciding it was rude to not tell him anything, and dangerous to defy Nick's orders, I spoke up. "Look, I can't tell you what happened to me. I don't think I would be able to stay sane… but what I can tell you is this- he's smart, Styles. He will do anything and everything to get out of something and to get the better deal. He's mentally capable of committing murder. Don't underestimate what he can do to you. I've seen him at his worst, and trust me on this- I really don't think I will ever be able to shake the images out of my head." 

By the end, I was shaking. I kept on seeing the images I've tried so hard to forget, leaving me feeling numb.

Styles looked at me, showing no fear in his eyes, and said, "Tomlinson, it's all going to be okay. I can just feel it. But you need to help me out here, what did Nick mean when he didn't want me to be blindsided?"

I sighed. "Look, Nick likes tricking people. I mean, he likes it when he makes people go insane. It's what he does… he makes people go insane, then he kills them."

Styles looked at me oddly, obviously not getting what I was trying to explain to him. "So he's going to trick us then? That's all?"

Glaring at him, I said, "Yeah. He tricks people. But the kinds of tricks he pulls isn't some kind of child's play. What he does to people makes them not know what's up and what's down. He blends nightmares with reality, making people question what's real and what's not. He warps reality into something you never would’ve thought would be true."

When I cut off, it was silence. You could have heard a pin drop. Yet, the silence wasn't comforting, like how I usually think of it. Instead, this was lonely, and every second I felt more alone than the last.

I could have kissed Styles for speaking up. "I'm sorry. That wasn't called for… I guess I'm not having the easiest time believing that I'm actually kidnapped. With you of all people."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You think?"

"I was just trying to be polite, okay? I know for some reason you're having a tough time, and if we both are going to get out of here, I think we both need to be in a right state of mind."

"Oh, so I'm not in a right state of mind?" who does he think he is? "For your information, I'm the one who figured out where the hell we were just a few hours ago!"

"Well forgive me for trying to help you!"

"Trying to help me? I'm sorry, but your definition of help and mine are two very different things!"

"Obviously your mom never taught you about helping others, Tomlinson."

I glared at him. Bringing my mother into this wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Don't go bringing my mum into this. She's a very good woman, and you don't see me downing your mother, do you? Follow my lead and don't diss mine, then."

Styles scoffed, a mist clouding over his green eyes. "Like Johannah is a mother at all. That's why I can down her, Tomlinson. My mother is one of the best there is, and is probably looking for me by now, while Johannah doesn't even know you're gone. Face it, Tomlinson - you really don't have a mother. In fact, you don't have any parents at all."

Ouch. That one hurt.

The only reason why it hurt is because you know it's true, the small voice in my head told me. Sure, I do have some mommy issues, but it's actually kind of rude to point it out to someone like that… but this is Styles we're talking about. There's nothing that he does that's not rude.

I know that my mother isn't really there for me all the time anymore, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she's not a bad mom… that's just a lie, and you know it.

"Hey, Tomlinson? You okay over there?"

I just ignored him. I had no desire to talk to Styles after what he just said. So I ignored him, which kind of sounds elementary for me to do, but he practically just called me an orphan. Of course I'm not very happy about that.

"Come on! The silent treatment? Seriously?"

I was glaring at the ground, trying to keep myself from losing it with him. I guess he really thinks he's above all others. I knew that Styles and I never got along, but right now if I was able to get out of these chains, I would kill him. Which is weird, considering I normally don't have violent thoughts.

I rid myself of them after last time. I went to the church and have a therapist so I don't have to live thinking like that, but I guess with Styles things change pretty easily.

"You're supposed to tell me about Nick, not give me the silent treatment, Tomlinson! Come on, what is the matter with you?"

I snapped, not able to take on his nagging. "Will you shut up, you ungrateful shit! My mother is none of your fucking business and I already told you all you need to know. Nick likes to make people go crazy, and then kills them! I think that's all anyone would need to know in a situation like this!"

Styles looked at me, but I was shocked when I didn't see any anger in his eyes. All I saw was regret. And to be honest, I got a warm feeling when I saw that, probably just from the satisfaction of having him see my way.

Yup. Only from the satisfaction.

After a few minutes in silence, he spoke, "How do we get out of here, Tomlinson?" his voice sounded defeated, as if he was ready to give up. And Nick hasn't done anything to us yet… we have no chance, I guess.

I looked at him softly, finally seeing what he was really feeling. He was scared, and he knew it. But he was also ready for this, too. He was courageous, and that was going to help him- help us, get out of here alive. “Luck. Pure fucking luck.” 

He groaned, and I heard a thump against the concrete when he hit his head back against the wall. I knew he was frustrated, but we had worse to think about right now. Instead of just trying to figure out how to get out of here, we also need to think about how we are going to survive to see the next day.

"Save your energy, Nick's probably devising a plan to make us go crazy right now, and we need to be ready for it," I told him. "You need to stop thinking about whatever you're thinking about right now, because obviously it's not going to help either of us in the long run."

Styles looked at me, his eyes wide. "I think I might have an idea…"

I opened my mouth, and tried to speak, but I wasn't able to find words. He noticed this, but before he was able to tell me what he ever-so cleverly came up with, the door slammed open, causing me to jump, yet again.

"You two have a nice chat? Lou, dear, I hope you told Harry about what we do here. It would be rather tragic… and not as fun for him to be blindsided, don't you agree?" Nick asked, his chilling blue eyes, digging into mine. I nodded timidly, too scared to speak.

"Good!" Styles and I jumped at the loudness of his voice. "Now, we must get started, shall we?" Nick waltzed around the room, in a bird like dance, circling Styles and I- his prey.

Nick disappeared behind me, and was out of my sight. I watched Styles, reading his expressions as I knew he could see Nick. So, when his eyes started to widen, I closed my eyes, and prepared myself for the worst.

"Lou, are you scared?"

I could feel his breath hitting my face, the smell of cool mint evading my senses. Slowly, I opened my eyes, as if it was going to prove to him that I wasn't scared of him anymore, and that he doesn't have the same effect on me like he did before.

But when I opened my eyes, I kind of wished I didn't in the first place. The round things like ice that Nick has for eyes was staring at me, as if they could reap through my soul. I felt violated, like he knew my every secret… and that was from one look.

I started to tremble, my body not agreeing with my mind about not being scared of him. I mean, I couldn't help but tremble at the sight of those eyes- the same ones that have haunted me for years.

"Awe, little Lou is scared," he cooed, though his voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

I glared at him. "You could never make me scared, Nick. Not after last time."

I saw Styles give me a look as if to say, "Do you want to die?" I just winked at him. I knew how to get under Nick's skin… and this was it. Besides, if I could get under his barrier just enough, than maybe I could make him crazy… or crazier.

I could use his technique against him. That's what I was planning on doing before, but I got out before I could do any real damage. This time… only one of us are going to come out of this alive, and Harry, if he can handle Nick.

Nick's complexion started to change before my eyes, and all of the sudden, he snapped his fingers, having some of his goons come into the room. "So, playing tough, huh? Well, let's see if you're as tough as you think. Time to come face to face with your worst nightmare, Louis Tomlinson."

I smelt something really sweet, like ripe strawberries, and my world went black.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chloroform was starting to really get on my nerves. 

And seriously, what was the whole thing with waking up in dark room? This was just getting overused.

I remember being hit with chloroform from a few of Nick's goons. I bet Styles was too, considering how stupid it would be for Nick to just knock out one of us, and that could lead to problems in the future, easily. But where was he?

"Styles? You there?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

I waited in silence, hoping to hear just a little scuff, anything just to know that I wasn't alone in here. But after a while, I realized that Nick not only relocated me, but he has Harry and I separate. I know what this means… we're about to be driven crazy.

I took a deep breath, and tried to tune into my surroundings. Hopefully, if were able to know where I was, I would be able to figure out how to get out of this place. I hope Nick's goons were stupid and forgot something…. That's how I got out last time.

I closed my eyes, and focused in. I was obviously sitting in a chair, I think wooden, but since I couldn't see it, of course I couldn't be sure. The room was pretty stuffy, like it was airtight. But I doubt that it was, considering how Nick wanted me to go crazy first.

Trying to force myself to see what was around me, I narrowed my eyes at the sides of the room. But all I saw was the same black that was in front of me.

The same black that was in front of me…

My God.

As soon as my eyes started to get used to the dark, my theory was proved correct. In front of me, I saw the faint outlines of myself… and all around. I was tied into a chair that was bolted into the floor, surrounded by walls of mirrors.

What is Nick planning?

All of the sudden, I heard a thump above me, and Nick's voice. "So, Louis Tomlinson, not scared of me? Or are you just putting on a show for our little Harry? But, we both know one thing you are terrified of."

The top of the room had a little hatch that opened, and out came the one thing that I honestly am completely afraid of. My phobia, a weakness in my armor.

_Spiders._

__

__

-Harry POV-

I hate waking up with a headache. And of course, I guess lately that's all I've been waking up to. A headache. And people who give me headaches.

Headaches for everyone!

I woke up in a room that was covered in darkness. I heard things beeping, but I wasn't too worried about that. To be honest, all I'm worried about is Tomlinson. Who knows what Nick's doing to him, and I need him to get out of here.

Yes, I'm actually admitting that I need Tomlinson to do something.

"Tomlinson? You here?"

Well. Either he's giving me the silent treatment again, or he's not here. I'm just going to go with the second.

“Louis,” I said deadly serious, using his real name. “If you’re playing the silent game with me, it’s not the best fucking time right now.”

He was gone. I had no idea where I was, or what I was going to do to get out of here, but all I know is that I'm alone, and if it comes down to something with wits, or just knowledge of this place, I'm screwed. Nick was going to make me go crazy, but I don't exactly feel like doing it alone.

Not without Tomlinson… this is meant to be said in the least friendly way possible.

"Hello, Harry Styles."

Immediately, the lights came on, and even though I was squinting, I saw Nick himself, standing in the front of the room… I think, or at least where I was facing. My blood went cold when I saw people on the screen.

My mom and stepmom.

I looked at Nick, glaring with all my might. Why was this going to involve them? Why was this going to involve anyone?

"Harry, you must be wondering, why them? Why the screen?" Nick said. I just continued to glare at him. Something about Nick even looking at my mother's picture just made me want to beat him up. "Well, your job is fairly simple. These people mean a lot to you, no? Even if they do, you will have to kill one of them."

Okay. Now I seriously wanted to beat him up.

We have two snipers aiming at each of these ladies right now. Your two beloved mothers… I know how protective you are of your friends. In fact, I happen to know that you would take a bullet for them. How ironic, considering that's how one of these ladies are going to die!"

I started to hyperventilate, and shaking my head. "You can't make me do this."

Nick smirked, his eyes liked a python's. "Yes I can. You pick one, or I kill both of them myself."

I looked at him. I looked into his eyes, seeing that he was dead serious. I was going to have to kill someone.

I did the one thing I could do in that situation. I closed my eyes and tried to disappear. I tried to just vanish from there, and be anywhere but there. Anywhere but with Nick.

He can't make me do this.

_He can't make me do this._

__

__

This is only just a dream.

Come on, Styles, this can't be happening, this has to be a dream.

Yeah… a dream.

But I opened my eyes, and was I hit with reality. Nick really was here, I was really kidnapped, and he was really making me choose between my mother's, one who was going to get killed. 

My inner voice told me that the choice was simple- to save my own blood, my mom.

But I couldn't let myself think like that. My father loves my step mother, and I love my father. It doesn't matter if Sam and I don't always see eye to eye. I mean, she makes my dad happy. But your mother makes you happy.

She's the best person to ever walk this earth, and you know it.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep myself from shedding the tears that were threatening to fall. I knew I had to choose someone, but I couldn't bring myself to cause the death of either of them. I just couldn't.

"Harry, time is running out." I looked over at Nick, who was looking at me with a bittersweet smile. He was enjoying this. Tomlinson was right, he really is a psychopath.

"You are a monster," I seethed. Bile was rose into my throat as I watched an insane smile curved his lips.

"You're not the only one who has told me that. But you and Lou are the only two who are still alive," Nick said, his eyebrows furrowing. "I don't know how he could have escaped, though. He was weak! Well, now I know he won't be escaping this time."

I just glared at him.

"If I were you, Harry, I'd be picking someone by now. Besides, we both know who you're going to choose. So, should I kill one, or both of them? Take your pick."

I looked at the two screens. My mom was sitting at the table with her head in her hands while Sam was talking on the phone. I can't believe I have to choose between them. But I know I can't let them both die.

That's worse than the latter.

"So Styles, who is it going to be?"

I looked down at the ground, not wanting to answer. Come on Styles, you know they both can't die. Just say it! 

"I choose my stepmother," I whispered. 

My heart sank down to my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up.

This isn't fair! There has to be a way out of this… there has to be something that I can do to stop this.

I looked up to see Nick looking down at me, an evil smile on his face. I could tell he wasn't all there by the look in his eyes. It doesn't surprise me that he was able to do this to people, force them to kill their loved ones.

I mean, I've never done anything to him. He just does it for the fun of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if he actually had skeletons in his closet.

"Oh Harry, I knew you were going to choose her. People can be so predictable," Nick stopped himself and spoke into an earphone. "Ethan, you can kill her now,"

I watched as the picture of my mother disappeared, and was replaced with a double view of Sam. Nick walked up behind me, and held my head so I had to look at the screen. "You're going to watch this," Nick whispered fiercely. Someone else came up behind me, forcing my eyelids open.

I had to watch them kill my step mother.

I was struggling against Nick as he started to count down into his earpiece, "Shoot in _10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…_ " Oh God no… 

" _4, 3, 2,_ Styles, you better be watching this, _1\. Shoot her!_ "

No, please…

The sound of gunfire rung in my ears, shocking me while looking at the screen as the woman that married my father was shot in the head, and fell the floor.

Please…

I watched as my father ran into the room that Sam was in, and cried out, running to her side. He was touching the wound, and crying.

He was begging like me.

That's the first time I've ever seen my dad cry.

The picture zoomed in on my father, focusing in on his face. It was grief stricken, and it was my entire fault. The goons holding me released me, and I slumped back into the chair I was sitting on. I still couldn't believe that my stepmother was just shot right in front of me.

I felt utterly defeated, like a 500 weight was just dropped onto my shoulders. I felt like I let everyone down. My stepmother is dead because of me… I really had just killed her.

I killed someone.

Every time I blinked, I saw her being shot. It was like instant replay going on in my head, and I couldn't get it out. I couldn't pause or stop it. It just kept on happening over and over.

Nick was going to pay for what he did to me and my family.

I was sure about that.

"Oh, poor little Harry Styles not able to comprehend what just happened," Nick cooed, yet his face was as cold as ice. "Well guess what Styles, you just ordered the murder of your good old step mother, Samantha. Congratulations, you killed someone."

I looked at Nick, my eyes cold. I forced all my raw emotion in them. "Nick, I will make you pay for what you did to my family. You will never get me to crack. I won't do it," I spat.

Nick walked up to me with a glare on his face. "You will learn to respect me, Styles. But until then, I'll just have to keep teaching it to you." And out of nowhere, like it was in slow motion, Nick punched me square in the jaw.

I could taste the blood pooling up in my mouth, and spit it out.

"Bastard," I choked out, spitting out the rest of the blood that had found its way to my mouth.

Nick looked on me as if I were meaningless, as if I was merely a speck of dust. "But I'm not the one who chose Samantha to die, am I? Harry, you're just as much to blame as I am. You chose to kill Samantha. You could've chosen your mother, but you went with Samantha. Besides, I know that the two of you didn't have the best relationship. You probably wanted her gone. You probably felt that she was taking your life, and that she was ruining your life. I think that you chose her because you thought that she wasn't worth being in your family. And that's why you're just as much to blame for this as I am."

I looked up at Nick, pure pain in my eyes.

"You're wrong. I'd never kill someone for the fun of it. You gave me a choice. I chose. Game over."

Nick smiled a bit. "But that's where you're wrong, Harry Styles. This game has only just begun."

That's when I heard a scream, causing my eyes to flash towards the screens on the wall, showing Tomlinson strapped to a chair in the middle of a room full of mirrors, with spiders dropping all over him, a completely paralyzed and petrified look on his face.

The game has only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spiders are not my shit, man. I guess that's where my real phobias come into this story. I've decided to put trigger warnings in the notes of every chapter so if you are triggered by specific events, you can skip the chapter. But just a fair warning, this is a pretty violent book. Read with caution!  
> Two chapters in one week! I wanted to upload today so that I can get consistent with the uploads on Fridays. Next upload will most likely be Friday, August 21st, at 4 pm PST.  
> I have the book entirely finished now, so I've been polishing chapters up! The total word count is 91k:) I'm so excited for what's to come, I hope y'all are too!


	3. felicité

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning!  
> This chapter includes triggers like mentions of attempted suicide, anorexia, alcoholism, physical abuse, mentions of rape, murder, head injuries resulting in blood loss.  
> Skip this chapter if you're not comfortable reading about these things, some in detail.  
> Enjoy!

-Louis POV-

The spiders started to fall down, and immediately shrugged my shoulders, closed my mouth, and closed my eyes. The spiders had to stop falling down at some point in time. Nick wouldn't want to kill me already, his games were only starting.

The spiders were falling, and each time one of them hit some of my open skin with at least one of those eight legs, I had to hold in a scream.

I absolutely positively hate spiders.

I cracked an eye open, only to be met with the eye of a spider. That's when I couldn't take it anymore. I started to scream, pleading with someone to let me out.

_"Help! Someone, please!”_

__

__

I started to thrash everywhere, trying to get the spiders off of me. I started to feel them crawl up my pant legs, some of them crawling onto my arms, in my hair…

I couldn't stand it.

"Nick! Let me out of here! I fucking hate you!”

The spiders crawling all over my body started to bring up some memories. I remembered the last time that I was in a room like this, surrounded by spiders.

_-Flashback-_

__

__

_"Mommy! Mommy please help me!"_

__

__

_I kept on crying out to my mom, even if I knew that she wasn't going to come. I wanted someone to help me… I don't know how much longer I can take it in here._

__

__

_"Fizzy! Please! Daisy! Phoebe! Anybody?"_

__

__

_I'm scared._

__

__

_I'm alone…_

__

__

_And I don't know how much longer I can take it in here._

__

__

_"Help me!"_

__

__

_-End Flashback-_

__

__

I was 10 when I was taken for the first time. I was only 10 when Nick had tortured me, having me begging on my knees to get out of there. I've always hated spiders, and I really have no idea why or how that fear came upon me, but ever since I can remember, I've always been scared of spiders.

My head started to hurt, and I tried to control my breathing as it started to speed up at an unhealthy rate. Soon enough, I was hyperventilating, and I wasn't in control of anything.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture myself in a happy place with my family, but I couldn't. I couldn't picture anything but the thousands of hairy legs that were walking all over my bare skin, the picture of the spiders that were just millimeters from biting my skin, some of them probably poisonous.

But that's not what scares me.

It's the fact that something is walking all over my skin, with the ability to hurt me. I'm worth nothing to a little spider, who doesn't care who I am. There's nothing I can do… and it scares me.

Besides- I just don't like spiders.

Who can blame me? Eight legs just aren't natural. Nothing should be allowed to be that tiny with that many legs. It's just not logical.

I was finding it hard to breathe, and hard to think. I just found it hard to function. I started to get faint and I was seeing dark spots all over my line of vision. I knew I was going to faint, and I didn't want to show any weakness.

"I fucking hate you with all my heart, Nick!"

I fell into darkness.

-Harry POV-

I was watching as Tomlinson was being surrounded by spiders.

He was screaming, thrashing, and crying out for help. I've honestly never seen anything like that before. And for some reason, I wanted to help him, like I wanted to reach into the screen and grab him, just to make sure he was safe.

Huh.

All of the sudden, he stopped, and froze. It was like he was in a trance, as the spiders continued to crawl all over him.

"What's happening to him?" I exclaimed, getting more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by and Tomlinson still wasn't moving.

Nick just chuckled, his eyes twinkling in delight as he watched Tomlinson be ransacked by all of the spiders. "You see, Harry Styles, Lou here has quite the fear of spiders. And now, I'm betting he's trying to shut himself out and forget where he is. But I can tell you it won't work. Not for our little Lou. I know him like the back of my hand."

I looked at him hard. "Get him out of there, now!"

Nick's eyes turned cold as he looked at me. "You can't control me, Styles. I think you're forgetting who's the one strapped down to a chair here."

I ignored him once I noticed that Tomlinson was moving again. I was glad he wasn't passed out or anything, at least. My relief was short-lived as soon as he started to scream again, but this time his breathing was turning into short gasps, and he arched his back as he was trying to get air into his lungs.

My eyes widened as I watched him slowly get paler and paler as him breaths got quicker and quicker. "Help him! He needs help!" I started looking around frantically, at all of the goons in the room with Nick and I, but their faces stayed straight.

Wonder how much he pays them.

There had to be someone in here that would stop Nick. There had to be someone in here that wasn't a bad guy. There just had to be.

"Oh, Styles, look at Lou! He's passed out! Haha!" Nick clapped and jumped up and down.

I looked at the screen, and all of the spiders were gone, but Tomlinson was all alone in a room full of mirrors, passed out. He looked like my stepmother after she got shot… he looked dead.

"No," I whispered.

"Oh, starting to have feelings for him so soon? Well, let's see what happens the next round. I'm going to have to take it a step up for both of you. Louis was successful in taking himself away after all. And do me a favor, Styles. Pass on this message to Louis: This is only the beginning. Goodbye for now!"

I felt a pain in the back of my head, and it all went black.

-Eleanor POV-

This might be the first time I'm really scared. Like actually trembling in my socks- kind of scared. My best friend and my brother's best friend- both enemies, are God knows where. I can't help but be worried for my friend.

My other two best friends, both emotional wrecks, were sitting next to me. After the whole ordeal with the principals announcing Louis and Harry missing, someone identified the three of us, and my brother and his friends, as the best friends of the missing kids.

So, basically, we're sitting in a conference room, waiting to be questioned.

I could hear Briana and Niall sniffling, and I could feel their movements in the spinny chairs. I knew that they were trying to hold themselves together, especially in front of Harry Styles's gang of friends, and I also knew that they were failing miserably.

I was basically the only person in the room able to hold herself together.

Yet, I knew the reason why I wasn't breaking down. I just didn't believe it.

Louis was too smart for this to happen to him. I mean, I definitely can believe Harry Styles being kidnapped. The guy isn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. If anything, Louis is probably off with his mother in some other country, and forgot to let the school know.

He's going to come back, and we'll all wonder why we worried so much about him in the first place. Might as well not make such a fuss about this right now.

I sat back in my chair, and took a deep breath. But what if he isn't on vacation with his mom? The thought ran through my head, and I shrugged it off. Remember, he's too smart for this.

A soft mumbling came from the other side of the table, and I looked up to meet my brother's glare. He was glaring at me, like the child he is, and his friends were looking at my friends curiously. I just smiled at Cory, trying to keep myself from laughing at his ridiculousness.

He's such a child.

"What's got you so smiley, Eleanor?"

I turned my head to look at Liam, who was raising an eyebrow at me. I just glared at him. "I guess you'll just have to hope one day you find out, Payne."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Well, I hope it's not when you're in a straitjacket, Calder. I mean, you are smiling like a kid on Christmas after you just heard that your friend was kidnapped."

I sighed. Obviously, he didn't get it. Well, he doesn't really know Louis like I do. He's smart, and not a mansel in distress. He can't possibly know that.

"Well, I don't see the point in all of this."

I felt Briana and Niall stiffen next to me after I said that. The whole room went silent, and I swear you could've heard a pin drop.

Cory started to laugh, a cold, dry laugh. "What don't you see, sister dear?"

"I don't see in why we have to make such a big fuss out of nothing. Well, at least, I don't have to."

Now it was Briana's turn to be curious. "Eleanor, why exactly don't you have to make a 'fuss' out of this? Louis was kidnapped, El," she said, her voice still hoarse from when she was crying. "I think that's plenty reason to make a fuss."

As Briana's voice died down, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I knew that they were expecting some philosophical answer, but all I could give them was, "He's too smart to get kidnapped."

Cory looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed. The glare was gone, the look of pure disgust was gone, and all that was left was a look of curiosity. I shook him off, and crossed my arms. It's like they all think that I'm crazy or something.

Niall was the one who broke the silence, "Uh, Eleanor? Even the smartest people succumb to things like this." His voice was small, and innocent. But I still didn't know why he didn't see what I saw.

"But were any of those people Louis, Niall? He wouldn't let this happen to himself."

Niall opened his mouth, about to say something, but Zayn cut him off. "You know Eleanor? De Nile isn't just a river in Egypt."

Just before I could lunge at him, Briana and Niall held me back, and he sunk down into his chair, realizing that wasn't the best thing to tell me at the time.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I am not in denial," I seethed, shaking the two off of me. As long as he kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't be pummeled.

"Eleanor, please, you need to see that-"

"Will you just shut up? My best friend is not kidnapped, alright? I can't handle you people!" I exclaimed, cutting Briana off, and storming out of the conference room. As I walked out, I could hear some voices in protest, but I just had to get out of there.

I was starting to see the facts.

Louis was really kidnapped.

-Cory POV-

When my sister stormed out, like the dramatic she is, everyone was looking at me, as if they thought I was supposed to do something. Like that would actually happen.

I didn't really know what they all thought I should do. I mean, I barely speak to my sister as it is, so trying to speak to her when she's in one of her serial killer moods probably wouldn't exactly end well.

Briana Jungwirth, the girl I've had a crush on since freshman year, sat there looking utterly defeated. She had her head in her hands, and her shoulders were shaking as if she was sobbing. Niall Horan, a guy Mitch has liked since God-knows when, looked even worse.

As if that were possible.

"Dude, you have to do something. When someone comes in and sees she's missing, we're all going to be in trouble. The cops told us we had to wait in here," Mitch mumbled, rubbing a hand across his face.

I looked at him ridiculously. Does he seriously think I'm Dr. Phil? Anyone, especially me, couldn't convince Eleanor to come back in here.

Of course, the detective in charge of this whole thing decided to come in here at that very minute. Why couldn't you have come two minutes earlier?

The detective was a tall man, who by the looks of it was very well respected, and thought a lot of himself. I rolled my eyes. I could be doing a lot better of things pertaining to finding Harry than waiting around for some arrogant detective to do it for me.

He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. The girls looked up at him, and the next second they were quickly rubbing their eyes, and trying to fix their hair, causing me to roll my eyes again and sit back into the chair. This was going to be a long meeting.

"I am Detective Trey of the NYPD. But before I get to real introductions, I'm pretty sure that there was one more girl in this room when we started today."

I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair. He even talked like an arrogant prick. "Quite the detective, Trey. Yes, Eleanor stormed out earlier. She's pretty much in denial about the whole thing."

He glared at me. Arrogant prick. "What's your name, kid?"

I tried to hide my laugh. I don't know how much more of this I could take. I felt the other's amused looks towards me, but I also picked up on the girl's flushed faces. Great, the last thing we need is girls crushing on the detective.

I just smiled at Trey, leaning even more back into the chair and crossing my arms. "That's for me to know and for you to find out. You are a detective after all."

Niall had put a hand over his mouth and his eyes bright in amusement. Zayn and Liam were trying not to laugh, while Nick had just face palmed. Briana was still batting her eyelashes at him like the love goddess she is.

Don't worry. I'm not jealous.

"I'm sorry; I don't find that tone amusing, kid. You may be important to this case, but I can have you out of here in a heartbeat."

I smirked, leaning forward, hitting my hands on the desk, and stood up. The other's flinched, and I smiled at the sight of Trey looking like he might blow up in anger. "Great. The sooner the better, please."

"So you're just about to turn your back on your friends, kid? I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, but if you're trying to be a class clown, I suggest you sit down. Whatever information you hold could be essential to this investigation."

I pretended to look in thought and said, "Wait, so you just told me I could leave, and now you want me to stay? If I were you, I would get your facts straight- I mean, since you are a detective and all."

By now, I was pretty sure that if Trey were a volcano, he probably would have erupted. I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. The others were just watching the two of us like a tennis match, sadness for our lost friends forgotten.

"You don't know what you're messing with."

My eyebrows furrowed. "I don't? My guess is you have nothing on finding Harry and Louis. You probably are just going to put this off as a file on the corner of a desk. Believe me when I say this- I want them home, probably more than you could ever be capable of feeling. I'm pretty sure waiting for you to finish your coffee in this conference room isn't going to solve the fact that they're both still missing. Yes, I see that fresh coffee stain on your shirt."

Everyone in the room turned their stares pointedly towards Trey, whose eyes were wide and shocked. Awe, the arrogant prick had no idea that anyone could see the coffee stain. Even Briana stopped batting her eyelashes at him, and replaced it with a glare.

Definitely not jealous at that one.

"You kids are all just a bunch of-"

"A bunch of what?"

Even I was shocked to see a man in a wheelchair, sitting there with a small smile, looking at Trey like he was a toddler in diapers. I remembered seeing him around the school, but I couldn't put my finger on who he was.

Trey just turned his glare towards the man in the wheelchair. "Who are you?"

The man just continued to smile. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out," he threw a sly smile in my direction. "All I can say is you have ten seconds to leave this conference room, or you will not have the title as a detective, am I clear?"

Trey didn't even bother to ask any more questions, he just took off right out of the room.

I had a hard time keeping my cool at that point.

The man in the wheelchair gestured me to sit down, and wheeled himself to the head of the table. We all looked over at him, expecting him to say something completely genius, but instead, he just asked, "Where's Eleanor?"

"U-Um, she kinda just left," Briana spluttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

He nodded, seeming deep in thought. "I will discuss what we need to discuss after hearing that earful, as soon as she comes back." He nodded to us, and wheeled around till he was out of the room.

Liam looked around at all of us, looking extremely confused. "What the hell was that?"

I sighed, "Beats me. So, who's going to find my big brat of a sister?" Wordlessly, Briana stood up and left the room. "I guess that just answered my question."

We waited for probably a half an hour before they came back. Zayn had fallen asleep, and Liam was having his own fun messing with him. I spent most of the time deep in thought, busy thinking of what could've happened to my friend.

An eerie feeling rumbled in my stomach as I thought about how bad it could turn out to be. I mean, who knows if we're going to find them alive? Who says they're not dead already? Maybe the kidnapped just wanted them for their money? I don't know much about Louis, other than he can be a little snot like my sister, so he must be rich.

Bile rose in my throat at the thought of my friend being dead. I couldn't help but think about Mrs. Twist, one of the nicest women in the world, as I tried to get the image of Harry and Louis dead out of my head.

She would be ruined.

My thoughts were cut off as soon as I heard the small creak of the door open, and see Briana and an angry looking Eleanor walk in. Eleanor just walked right in and sat in her chair, between the two girls and not meeting anyone's eyes.

Couldn't blame her. But it would be pretty fun to make fun of her later about this, though.

As soon as the girls got situated, the guy in the wheelchair wheeled himself back into the room, and Eleanor turned to look at him in disbelief. "Mr. Brunner? What are you doing in here?"

He gave a small smile to her, and said, "Nice to see you too, Miss Calder. Now I can officially begin my introductions… well, as soon as Mr. Malik wakes up."

Niall giggled a little as Eleanor threw one of her shoes at his face, causing him to wake up in a fast motion, ultimately ending up on the ground. Eleanor looked pleased with herself.

I rolled my eyes for the third time.

Mr. Brunner raised an eyebrow, and started to speak, "As a teacher, I shouldn't allow that, but as a man, I might just have to let that slide. Besides, you're all going to be getting into a lot more trouble in the next few weeks." That sentence got him full attention, and everyone watched him intently.

"As you know, your friends have been kidnapped. They were in my class before this happened, and when I sent them to the office, a lockdown was issued and they were taken. Now-"

Eleanor cut him off, "So what are you doing here? Why make the detective go away? Do you want redemption or something?"

Mr. Brunner gave her a quirky smile. "I have my reasons. All of which you will find out if you listen to my story. Obviously, many students have wondered exactly why I'm in a wheelchair. I've made up many stories, most of which you all know. But the true story involves Louis Tomlinson.

"I first met Johannah Deakin when she was traveling the country. She knew that her son would be a target for many of her competitors, who want to take her off the grid for good. She had pulled some gigs with the FBI and NASA, some of which left her with some pretty unsettling enemies.

"Johannah had asked me to watch over Louis, and make sure that no one did any harm to him. At the time, I was working for the FBI myself and had helped her with one of the 'gigs' she did with the FBI. Needless to say, she trusted me enough to let me protect her son.

"Unfortunately, under my care, Louis was kidnapped, much like this. He was taken by a man named Nick Grimshaw, who was insanely infatuated with the young boy. Later, we found out from Louis himself, that Nick used torture in a different way. He had scared many people to death, creating each person's personal phobia into a reality. I had an accident while trying to save him, and ended up paralyzing my legs. He doesn't remember me today because of the post-traumatic stress disorder that he had obtained from being held captive for many months. My guess is after he escaped last time, he's even more taken with him, especially because he's the one who got away."

When he was finished, we all looked at him in shock.

"You expect us to believe this?" Zayn asked, his wicked smile coming to life. "This must be like some sort of prank or something. This can't be real."

Mr. Brunner looked at him in shock, now. "I don't know what else to tell you besides that this is the truth."

Everyone took a second to ponder over what had just told us. This was some serious stuff… but since he knows where they are, maybe he could help us.

Eleanor was the one to break the silence, "So why was Harry Styles taken too? Why not just Louis?"

Mr. Brunner sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I sent the two to the office together. My guess is that Harry Styles was taken because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Why are you telling us this?" Niall's small voice asked.

Mr. Brunner looked at her softly. "Mr. Horan, I need you all to help me. I know that you want your friends back as much as I do. I also happen to know that there is someone in this school that is a mole. Someone who feeds Nick with information, so he knew when to take Louis. A genius plan, actually."

"So you want us to act as your insiders? Check out your suspects?" I asked.

He looked at me gravely. "Exactly that. But I need to warn you, this could be dangerous. One false step, and you could be hanging out with your two friends. This isn't some child's play. But I need your help, and I looked into all of your files, and I see that every one of you probably has a reason to play hero."

We all looked at Mr. Brunner, shocked. He was right, after all.

We all had a reason to be a hero.

That's when I knew we were all in.

-Louis POV-

Waking up to a massive headache was starting to become normal to me. No matter what happens to me, somehow I always end up with a massive headache.

I really don't appreciate it, either. I mean, do these guys even have the decency to not hit me over the head, use chloroform, or torture me just once? If they bothered to refrain from doing that, it would easily be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

But when I started to think about things reality-wise, I realized that it would probably never happen, especially since it would be in my favor.

Nick never does anything in our favor.

My headache started to clear as I started to feel a small little ticklish feeling that was running through my leg.

I looked down, my eyesight that had previously been clouded wasn't so clouded anymore as I saw a little black thing with eight legs making its way to my face. I screamed, and moved in a jolting motion, all the while trying to flick it off my body.

Having arachnophobia does wonders to your heart beat.

I quickly searched my body to see if I had any more of those things crawling all around my body. Like they had before….

Screaming.

Crawling.

Screaming.

I took a deep breath, trying to think of something that wasn't about those… things. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself down. You're not in that room anymore.

Wait… I ran my hand through my hair…

I picked my arm up into my eyesight, amazed at the sight of my own hand. I haven't seen it since I've been brought to this place. For some reason, Nick decided that I didn't need to be bonded to anything anymore.

Growling to myself, I moved my legs, and I saw that they weren't being held back by anything either. I knew that there had to be some reasoning to this; I mean, Nick wouldn't just let me be free to roam for no reason.

I knew that there was something missing, though. Something that I had forgotten about, maybe? I looked around the room that I was in, immediately seeing another being on the floor.

Styles!

I crawled frantically to where he was lying, all crumpled up in a heap of lanky body. Quickly I checked for a pulse, anything that could tell me that I wasn't alone.

I let a breath out that I didn't know that I was keeping in when I found one.

Curiosity took over me as I checked his body over for any injuries, and my heartbeat picked up when I noticed that he had a head wound that had supplied a nice little pool of blood on the floor.

My breathing hitched as I remembered the last time I saw something like this…

_-Flashback-_

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_Red! So much red!_

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_I was confused… my head hurt. But I wasn't hurt, Felicité was._

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_Her hair, like mine, was soaked in blood. Red blood… Too much red blood._

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_I was crying, crying out for my sister. She wouldn't hold my hand like she promised to always do earlier. I felt alone. I was alone._

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_I want my sister._

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_"Fizzy! You need to wake up, okay? Mommy wants us to come home!"_

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_My breathing came out in choked sobs, sobs that would haunt me in my nightmares for the rest of my life._

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_"Please! I need you, please!"_

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_I never said please or thank you. I prayed that if she woke up and held my hand that I would always say my please and thank you's._

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_-End flashback-_

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__

"Fizzy! Wake up!" I screamed.

My eyes opened to reality, and I was pretty confused. My hands weren't covered in blood. Fiz wasn't there… Harry Styles was. And he needed my help now.

He wasn't going to turn out like Fizzy. Not if I were still alive.

Closing off all thoughts that lead to my late sister, I took a deep breath and started to tend to Styles's head wound. I looked for anything to use to clean his head up, but found nothing but a toilet in the corner of the room.

God knows how many people Nick had here in this torture chamber of his.

I looked down at Styles again, and sighed when I realized I was going to have to bandage his head. I dragged him over to the toilet, and took some water from the bowl, and cleaned his cut from the blood. I guess it was better than nothing, but I was definitely not going to tell him I cleaned his face with toilet water later.

I looked down at my shirt, which had already been ripped a little at the bottom, and his, that really hadn't been changed in any way besides the color.

I decided to make a little sacrifice in the name of my new acquaintance. At least, I think he's my acquaintance. Scowling at the ground, I quickly took off my shirt and ripped away at the bottom of my shirt.

Ripping in an orderly fashion, I had four strips that I would be able to patch Styles up with. I crumpled up the remaining fabric, leaving me clutching at my abdomen. 

What can I say, I’m self-conscious. 

I wasn't sure if he had a concussion, but when I had felt for a pulse, he had a strong one. So, if he was concussed, I was pretty sure that I didn't have to worry about hurting his head any more. All I knew that he had a cut on his forehead, and it needed to be taken care of.

I folded on of the strips, so when I was finished it would act more like a blood absorber, like a bandaid. I wrapped the other strips around his head, and tied it together at the back of it. I left the other two strips for later, knowing that the makeshift bandage wouldn't last forever.

When I had finished, I looked at my handiwork with some pride, and moved myself so I could lie down too. But not too close though, so I wouldn't get infected with whatever disease that he had.

I took a few deep breaths to clear my head. If we were going to get out of here alive, the both of us, I was going to have to have a clear mind and relax. I needed to figure out how to get out of this hell that the two of us had landed into.

When I let my guard down, I started to remember when the last time I was here. In this exact room.

I could recognize that toilet anywhere…

_-flashback-_

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_"Louis? Louis, wake up!"_

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_Reacting to my sister’s terrified voice, I shot up, finding myself in a dark room, and the only other person that I could see was my sister, Felicité._

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_I rubbed my eyes, tired and confused. "Fizzy? What's happening?"_

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_I've never woken up into a dark room before. My mom always would keep my bathroom door open in my room, with the light on. I was always scared that a monster would come and eat me at night, so she made sure that the monster wouldn't come because they don't like light._

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_Or so I thought._

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_"Louis, we're trapped in here! The door won't open!"_

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_My blue eyes went wide, and stared into hers. I could tell she wasn't kidding with me. We really were trapped._

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_"Then why won't mommy come and get us?" I asked, my voice really small and innocent. Felicité who was older than me by four years, looked at me all sad-like. "What's wrong, Fizzy? Why are you sad? Mommy is going to come and get us, right?"_

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_Even as a little kid, I could still tell that something was wrong… very wrong._

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_"Louis, please! Mom isn't going to come and help us! Can't you see that we're kidnapped!"_

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_I started to cry at the anger in her voice. Fizzy never gets mad at me. She never has yelled at me before._

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_Felicité noticed what she did, and saw how she had reacted really bad. She got a really sad look on her face, and came over to me, and gave me a hug. "Lou, I'm sorry. But Mommy is going to look for us, okay? We are going to get out of here. I promise."_

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_I looked up to her, my blue eyes big, and held out my pinky. "Pinky swear?"_

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_She smiled at me as her pinky locked with mine. "Pinky swear."_

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_My breathing started coming out as pants as I looked down at my pinky. Just now I'm starting to realize how we probably will never get out of here… well, the both of us anyways._

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_Nick always gets one._

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_He always makes people break their promises._

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_Fizzy was sitting in the corner of the room, her head in her hands. I was trying to get her to talk to me, and more or less- play with me._

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_"Fiz, why can't we just play some tag?"_

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_"Like I said before, Louis. We can't!"_

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_My eyebrows went together, and I stared at her with curiosity. "Well, why not?"_

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_Felicité sighed, and ran a hand through her curly hair. Her icy blue eyes stared straight into my ones that matched hers. She was serious. "This is no time for playing, Louis."_

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_I sighed, and laid my head down on the concrete. There was nothing to do here. I was so bored. I needed to talk to someone. "What are you doing, Fiz?"_

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_I heard a heavy sigh, and didn't bother looking up. I knew she was going to answer me. She always did._

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_"I'm trying to figure out how to get out of here, Louis. Please, can you just be quiet for a few moments while I figure this out?"_

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_I let out a little "hmph" and crossed my arms, but let her be. I knew that if I wanted to get out of there, I was going to have to let my sister use her mind. And I guess that when you use your mind that you are going to need some silence. That's when I figured that I better shut up._

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_I had tried to think of better times… good things. Like how my mom would wake me up with pancakes all the time. Fizzy would always take me to the park. When we get out of here, I want her to take me to the park again._

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_I knew that much._

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_While thinking of pancakes, my mom, and Fizzy, I had drifted off into a sleep. I didn't really dream. I just saw pictures. Pictures of things that I wanted to happen._

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_Like going on the swings with Fizzy, and having her give me an underdog. She always did give me the best underdogs._

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_My mind subconsciously roamed onto other things, but then my dreams started to become nightmares. I started to see Felicité on the floor, crying out to me. I was trying to get to her, but something invisible was in my way._

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_The dream changed, and instead of Fiz on the floor, it was my mum. She was crying, and I never had seen her cry before. "Mommy! Mommy I'm coming!"_

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_I tried my hardest to get to her, and started to cry when I couldn't get to her. Something that I couldn't see was hitting and kicking her, and all I could hear was, "Louis! Run!"_

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_But it started to morph into someone else's voice. It wasn't my mom's. "Louis! Wake up! Get out of here!"_

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_It was Fizzy._

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_I opened my eyes and saw someone with brown hair and blue eyes that reminded me of ice that was standing over Fizzy, holding her hair, and glaring at me._

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_I gulped._

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_-end flashback-_

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__

The sound of a moan took me out of the trance-like state that I was in, and shocked me back to reality.

Styles.

I sat up to look at Styles, who was just waking up himself. I tried to make myself look like I hadn't just been having a flashback, but when I saw the immediate confused look in his eyes, I didn't bother. It's not like he could tell if anything were wrong anyway.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty."

He just glared at me, automatically remembering what kind of situation we were in. "Shut it, Tomlinson," his hand went to his head, and he moaned. "What the hell happened? Why do I feel like crap? And where the hell are we?"

I rolled my eyes. He still hasn't realized he could move around.

"Holy shit!"

Now he did.

I gave him a little smirk, trying to hold back a laugh at how he was looking at his hands confused, as if they weren't his. But I at least had the decency to not do that, considering I was just doing that about an hour ago.

"Surprised much?"

His green eyes looked at me in shock. "Why would the bastard do this? What kind of game is he trying to play?"

I sighed. "If you want all of these questions answered, you're going to have to slow down, cowboy. To answer your questions from earlier, all I know is that you were hit in the head and I had to patch you up. As to what 'the bastard' has planned for us, all I can say is that I'm in the same boat as you."

Styles nodded, and his eyebrows were scrunched together, as if he were taking it all in. "That explains why my head's killing me."

I nodded, and leaned back onto the nearest wall, and sighed to myself. I couldn't believe I was back in this situation… and I still came close to being all alone.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

My head snapped up to meet his questioning gaze. I looked at him, trying to sound genuine, "What do you mean?"

He just rolled his eyes. "Look, you don't just go and look like that for no reason, okay? Sorry to say that you're stuck with me, so I think that whatever you're hiding, you should probably let it out."

I just scoffed. "And have you judge me like you have been for our entire fucking high school career? No way!"

He put his hands up as if he were surrendering. "Hey, I'm not going to judge you. Like you said before, I'm pretty much in the same boat."

I sighed. Using my words against me was good, but I definitely wasn't going to tell Harry Styles what happened to me and my sister when we were here. I'm not going to be a downer on his hope. Even Harry Styles doesn't deserve to have no hope.

Only I do.

We sat in silence for a good ten minutes. I suppose he was waiting for me to say something, but I kept my mouth shut. We sat like that till we both fell asleep.

What a waste of time.

I dreamt of Fizzy. Of her telling me that I should trust Styles. She told me that he was the only person that I could trust, and that I was supposed to be smart enough to realize that.

I couldn't speak back to her, it was as if there was something that was preventing me from speaking. But seeing her again was enough for me to tear up.

_"Louis, you have to trust Harry. You can't keep holding this in, okay? You're not going to get out of this alive if you keep everything bottled up."_

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_Fizzy looked around. "I have to go, but remember what I told you!" As she was speaking, her voice slowly started to fade out, and into the darkness that plagued my mind._

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_"No! Please No!"_

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My eyes snapped open at the sight of Harry Styles himself, flailing all around, hitting and kicking at some unknown force, and screaming at the top of his lungs.

_"Please! Don't do it! Please, I'll do anything!"_

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__

My breath caught in my throat when I realized that he was having a nightmare, and a bad one at that. And I had no idea what to do with him. In all honesty, I have never seen someone have a nightmare before, let alone know what to do when someone had one.

So, I just did what my sister and mom used to do when I had nightmares.

I slowly crawled over to where he was sleeping, and was cautious of his punches and kicks as I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, whispering kind words into his ear.

My whole body was telling me to stop, to get as far away from him as possible. He was my enemy, I wasn't supposed to help him. He had tormented me for years… what am I? His servant?

But some little part of me told me that I needed to help him, so I did.

Soon he was calmed down, and leaning into my embrace. He nuzzled his head into my neck, and mumbled something that I could just barely make out as, "Lou."

Instinctively I smiled at the sound of my name, and looked down on him in contentment.

Wait.

No way.

Realizing what I was just doing, I threw his heap of a body off of me, and quickly scooted away from where he was. He moaned, holding his head that had just hit the floor, as he woke up. Quickly, I turned around to face the wall, trying to think about anything that wasn't Harry Styles.

"God, why does my head hurt even worse than it did before?"

I turned to look at him, and stared right into his green eyes. I found myself getting lost in them…

Get a grip, Louis! Get yourself together, and be strong, I thought.

Seeing that he was still expecting an answer, I just shrugged. A few awkward seconds went by, so I asked, "What was that nightmare about?"

Styles's usually guarded eyes looked at me, shocked, and not so guarded anymore. I could see all the pain, and sadness that radiated through them. I felt like giving him another hug.

I pinched myself for that thought.

"Well…" he started, turning his gaze downward. He took a deeper breath than normal, and I heard a little hitch at the end. His hands went to his head, and he started to shake.

Now I wanted to give him a hug. And I didn't even bother to pinch myself.

Harry Styles was crying.

I scooted over to where he was, and patted his back awkwardly. I could tell that he needed it… and I guess I was the only person in the building that probably would even come close to comforting him.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

He looked up at me, his eyes all watery. My heart broke at the sight of it. I never thought that seeing Harry Styles cry would actually bring me pain. Hell, I never thought that I'd ever see him cry.

"You called me by my real name," he mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing. It was as if he just realized that he was crying, if anything, that he was crying in front of another person, and he scooted back to the other wall that was far from me. "You didn't need to see that."

I raised an eyebrow, even though he probably couldn't see it. "I never need to see a lot of things. What did Nick do to you?"

His breathing hitched a bit. Jackpot. "How did you know that Nick did something to me?"

"I've been through this before, remember? I've seen this all before."

He sighed. "He did what you told me he would do… he used my weaknesses against me."

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "What kind of weaknesses are we talking about?"

"He made me kill my stepmother."

Oh my God. "Oh."

"You think I'm a monster."

His voice sounded so weak and so broken, and reacting on instinct again, I slowly crawled over to where he was, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'd never think you were a monster, Harry."

He glared at me, causing me to flinch back and take my hand off his shoulder. "You should never say things that you don't mean, Tomlinson. Don't call me by my first name ever again. You don't deserve to."

Saying that I was shocked at his actions was an understatement. I mean, I knew that people who are sad have a tendency to lash out at other people, just to hide their real feelings, but goodness, I was just trying to help.

"Okay then. Is there anything that I bloody need to know?" I asked. “Nick leaves messages from time to time.” That's something that Fizzy and I had figured out together. He always says things that lead to something like a clue, of which we used to escape…

Well, I used to escape.

Styles's eyes went wide, and the brokenness returned. He wasn't the angry guy that I saw before… he was Styles again.

The look in his eyes told me he was going to apologize, but I gave him a look telling him to save it.

He shook it off and spoke, "Yeah, how did you know? Nick told me to tell you that this was only just the beginning."

I shrugged at him, and explained, "It's just something that I picked up on the last time I was here. It's as if he leaves clues in what he tells you. Stay aware of what's going on, okay?" He nodded, his eyes wide.

"Good. We better get planning on a way to get out, because I have a feeling that we're going to have more 'fun' with Nick soon."

Everything that I might have been feeling towards him was long gone and out of my mind.

oOoOoOoOoOoO

There was an awkward silence. Styles looked like he wanted to say something every few seconds, and opened his mouth before closing it again. Needless to say, he looked like a fish. I thought it was hilarious.

His plump lips hypnotized me as he would force his lips into a straight line before trying to speak once more. His eyebrows were all scrunched up, and a worried gaze had taken over his green eyes. His hair was a mess from the amount of times his fingers had run through it, as a nervous gesture.

I couldn't help the small smile that graced my face. I knew he was guilty, and I knew that he said things that he knew he shouldn't have said. But I wasn't about to stop watching him squirm under my firm glare.

"Tomlinson, I'm sorry… I was out of line," he spoke. His head was down, staring at the hands he fiddled with. He looked up with a hopeful glance, and looked down again at the sight of my steely glare. "I-I don't know what came over me… I mean, I'm just so mad, and I don't know what to do, and-"

"You’ve been out of line a lot recently.” I teased. His eyes lifted to meet mine and I saw the worry in them, so I smiled tightly. "I accept your apology. Just don't do it again."

His eyes lit up as he smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back. But at the same time, I knew we were just wasting time.

"We have to figure out how we are going to get out of here," I said, suddenly being pulled back into the real world- not just the one Styles and I had created for ourselves.

Styles nodded, and started to get up before freezing in his place. "Tomlinson, is this place bugged?"

"No, I don't think so. It wasn't the last time I was here."

Styles's eyes darkened when I referred to the last time I was in this cell, and his body stiffened. "Shit, Tomlinson…"

I cut him off, "It was a long time ago, it's in the past, and now, I’m in therapy, I have a psychiatrist. We just need to focus on getting out now."

He nodded, the look of guilt that once was gone was back on his face. I got up to help him search for bugs, but when we couldn't find any I figured that Nick doesn't really like to change his ways. I remember that from when Nick and Fizzy used to be friends.

I sighed, and leaned against the wall of the cell before looking at Styles who had been looking at the other half. "Find anything?"

Styles just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "None. I was hoping I could find something that would help get us out, but I guess we're stuck here."

I shot him a look. "You forgot that I have been here before, Styles. And we both know that I was able to get out."

"How did you get out, then?"

"Luck."

"So how are we supposed to get out now? I'm sorry, but I'm not placing my life in the hands of luck. Speaking of that, I don't know anything about you, Tomlinson. How am I supposed to just go ahead and trust you?"

I shrugged, and leaned my head back against the wall. "How am I supposed to trust you either, Styles? You kind of spent the last few years tormenting me every chance you were given," I sighed. "But okay, don’t trust the person who has been in here before and knows what the fuc is going on. I guess we're stuck here, then."

I closed my eyes, and tried to forget. I imagined that I was back in my home, reading Pride and Prejudice in the family library with my shoes off and fireplace on. I almost missed the sound of Styles moving over to sit against the wall next to me. Almost.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I opened my eyes and tilted my head to face him. "Talk about what?"

"I might not be as smart as you, but I'm not an idiot, either. I know when something is bothering someone, and I can see something is bothering you. So, spill."

I let out a scoff. "And why exactly would I do that? Speaking to the person who has bullied me for years about my innermost thoughts, I mean. That's absurd."

A low chuckle sounded like bells to my ears. "My mom once told me that it's best to speak to a stranger about what you feel, because they can't judge you on anything else. She also told me that strangers give their honest opinions. I don't know about you, but I think that we count as strangers."

"Even though you've been judging me for the past few years of my life?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Yeah, I am too. You seem like a nice guy… sometimes, at least."

Styles's eyebrows shot up. "That's a start. Now I know you don't completely hate me."

I turned my body towards his and took a deep breath. "Styles, I don't think I really ever hated you. Strongly dislike you, yes; but hate you? I don't think I've ever hated you."

"Ditto."

I laughed. "I basically poured my heart out to you, and all you can do is say, ditto? What kind of world has this come to be?"

He chuckled again, and faced the blank wall ahead of us. "Tomlinson, what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say that you trust me. I need you to trust me so we can both get out of here alive. If you don't trust me… I'm not too sure we could get out of this mess."

His head turned to face me, and there was a look of intensity in his eyes that I couldn't place. "I do trust you, Tomlinson. But I need to know… what happened the last time you were here?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "You deserve to know."

Closing my eyes, I began. "I was ten at the time… so it was about seven years ago. Nick had some ties to my family, as he worked for my mother. The police think that's how he met me, and how he decided that I was going to be his target. His father was killed in a fishing accident, which was about the same time he snapped. He kidnapped me when I was walking home from the bus stop. I was only ten meters away when two of his goons took me off the street, drugged me, and I found myself here."

I felt Styles's hand on my shoulder. "Did he ever…" he coughed, "you know…"

I put my hand on top of his and shook my head. "No. He never raped me. Looking back on it, I'm not exactly sure why. I was young and vulnerable… maybe he respected that."

"But he did kidnap you," Styles clarified.

"Yeah. He did."

All of the sudden, the door swung open and hit the wall behind it, startling me. I felt Styles put an arm around my waist and pull me closer to him, and I didn't think anything of it. I was much too terrified.

Nick stalked in through the door, his blue eyes glowing as if he were high. His eyes narrowed at the arm around my waist and he scowled at Styles. "How cute. You two look to be getting cozy… but that won't last for long. Love never does, doesn't it Lou?"

I felt the muscles in Styles's arm tighten at the sound of my name. Nick's eyebrows shot up as he took in Styles's reaction, and a sickly smile crossed over onto his lips.

"Did you tell him, Lou? Did you tell him you weren't here alone?"

Styles's arm snaked away and recoiled back to his body. I immediately felt like my cover was being blown. I've never felt so alone than I did in that moment.

"What is he saying, Tomlinson?"

Nick's laugh cut through the tension in the air like a knife. "Oh, so he didn't tell you. This is brilliant! I can't believe it!"

"Styles, I didn't know how to tell you…"

"I trusted you, Tomlinson. I trusted you, and you didn't trust me."

"Trouble in paradise? Interesting. My sweet little Lou, when will you ever learn? I am always going to be one step ahead of you."

I glared at him as his goons started to fill in the room, and then my world went black.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Spiders were everywhere. They were crawling all over me, and I wouldn't open my mouth. With my luck, they would probably crawl inside. Tears were streaming down my face, but I couldn't feel it through all of the spiders._

__

__

My mom told me I had a phobia. A fear. A fear of spiders. She told me that she had it too, and that it was normal. But this isn't normal. Not at all.

I just want Fizzy. She'll know what to do. She's not scared of anything… she'll get the spiders off of me in no time.

Suddenly, something cold and wet hit my face.

"Get them off!" I screamed, my eyes jolting open. I could feel the coolness of the water that had been poured over my head to wake me up. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the change in lighting.

"Oh, Lou. Did you have a little nightmare? Maybe one about spiders?"

I looked up through my wet hair to see Nick standing in front of me with a smirk playing on his face. I lunged for him, but was held back by restraints. I looked down. I was tied to a chair.

"Shut up, Nick!" Styles's voice yelled from next to me. I turned to face him, and saw that he had gotten the same treatment I had. You could see the muscles in his chest and shoulders ripple and strengthen as he fought his restraints.

Nick just smiled and walked towards him. "I don't see how you're in any position to be telling me what I can and cannot do. I am not the one who is tied to a chair. But I'm also not the one who had my trust betrayed."

Styles's steely glare faltered and his eyes looked down. I had really hurt him. "Don't listen to him, Styles! He's just trying to get in your head!"

Nick snapped his head to look over and me, and glared. "Oh, Lou. I haven't even began to have fun with you yet."

He turned to face Styles. "So, where did I leave off? Oh, yes. Lou dear betrayed your trust. He wasn't alone when he was here before."

"Styles…"

"He was with his sister. Who happened to be my best friend. You see, I wanted to get my revenge on someone, his sister got in the way, so I decided to take her and the apple of her eye- her younger brother. Louis. Louis was a beautiful child. Even though he is more beautiful now… he was precious, and I knew that Felicité, his sister, would rather die than let anything happen to him."

Tears started to stream down my face. "No, you do not get to say shit about her! You don't get to speak of her like that. You’re not bloody worthy of saying her fucking name, hell, even thinking about it!" I screamed, "You killed her!" Tears poured down my cheeks. I put my head down, not wanting Harry to see me more upset than he already had. “You fucking killed her!”

Nick turned to face me, the same sickly smile went across his face. "No. You killed her, Lou. She sacrificed herself to save you. She died to so you could escape! And now you're back again!"

"I fucking hate you with all my heart!"

"No, dearie. Wrong again. You love me. You even told me once before!"

_"I was seven!"_

__

__

"Feelings never change, sweetheart. Now… it's time for the show to begin."

I turned to look at Styles who was staring at me with pain in his eyes. He hates me. Hands grabbed my hair and forced me to look forward away from Styles.

"I have a special treat just for you, Lou!" Nick's voice exclaimed, and suddenly an image appeared on the wall ahead of me.

Oh, God. It was the day Fizzy died.

He was going to show me Fizzy’s death.

Tears streamed down my face and started to cloud my vision. But I still remember what happened like it was yesterday.

“Nick, please, don’t, I can’t-” I pleaded. 

“Shut up, this is the best thing I’ve ever watched.” Nick grinned, eyes glued to the screen. 

A girl about my age with brown hair and a little boy around the age of seven that had the same hair grazed the screen. The girl, my sister, was holding the boy in his arms. I was the boy.

_"Louis, as soon as Nick comes in this room, you need to run, okay? You need to run just like we talked about," Fizzy said._

__

__

_"You gonna come with me, right?" the boy asked, his voice ringing in the room like bells._

__

__

_"Of course, Louis. I'll be right behind you."_

__

__

The boy hugged the older girl, and I couldn't control my body when it flinched as Nick walked in the cell on the screen.

_"Fizzy!"_

__

__

_"Louis, run!"_

__

__

_"No!"_

__

__

_BANG!_

__

__

On the screen, Nick was holding Fizzy in a choke hold. "Louis!" She gasped, "run!"

The little boy ran out of the room just as he was told, and Nick threw Fizzy across the room. Fizzy looked up at Nick without a shred of fear on her face. _"You can't touch him anymore, Nick."_

__

__

_"I will find him, Felicité. And then I will kill him. Just like you."_

__

__

Fizzy’s eyes went wide as Nick pulled out a gun.

_"Goodbye old friend."_

__

__

BANG!

Blood spattered on the walls, and Felicité’s body crashed to the ground.

The image disappeared.

Nick walked in front of where the image had just been projected, a smug look on his face. "Let them go now, boys."

The hands released from my head and I immediately looked at Styles with tears pouring down my face. My eyes were wide and red rimmed, I probably looked like a mess. I saw all I needed to from the look in his eyes. We were both sorry.

Reliving the most tragic moment in my life definitely brought back some memories that I had managed to control with my psychiatrist. I felt sorry for Styles, he had to see me relive that moment. 

"Lou, don't you see? It's your fault your sister is dead. Not mine. Nothing is stopping us from being together."

I turned to face Nick, who looked like he solved the problem for world peace. "Why would I want to be with you? You're nothing but a monster, Nick!"

The smugness on Nick's face turned to rage, and his steely eyes bore down into my soul. "You want to see a monster? I'll show you a fucking monster. Have at him, boys."

I glared at Nick's back as he walked out of the room. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, a fist came flying at my face. I was restrained, so I wasn't able to dodge it, and the fist slammed into my right cheekbone.

"No! Louis!" Harry cried.

The chair I was seated on flipped over to the side, and I became a human punching bag. I was being punched and kicked, and it seemed like there would be no end. I hung onto the sound of Styles's cries and pleads.

The chair I was restrained to broke from being beaten as well, and I was able to try to flee, and I got up and tried to run. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry fighting the restraints of his chair desperately.

"Louis, look out!"

I turned around just in time to see a punch being thrown, and ducked then went into a powerful roundhouse kick just as my instructor had shown me. The goon that threw the punch was rendered unconscious as my foot hit his head.

I was desperately trying to fight off the goons, but there were too many of them. I grew tired, and then two were able to get a good grip on me. They grabbed my upper arms, and forced me to kneel on the floor. I was facing Styles, and the look on his face could only be described as terror.

A single tear washed down from my eye, and then it all went black.

-Eleanor POV-

It has been two weeks. It's like I'm slowly drowning with no way to surface. I wouldn't wish this on to my worst enemy. I'm feeling like I'm losing everything.

Louis is my best friend. He's basically like my best friend version of a soulmate, and I can't imagine my life without him. I remember when he figured out that my mother was in a bad place, and he wouldn't let me take care of her alone.

Without my best friend, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing anymore. I just feel so lost. It's unfair.

"Eleanor, you okay?"

I jumped at the sudden voice, and turned around to see Cory standing in the doorway to my bedroom. It was obvious that he was trying to look as unconcerned as possible, but I knew better than that. The fact that he actually spoke to me meant that something must have been wrong. It was then that I realized there were tears streaming down my face.

And I never cry.

I hastily wiped the tears from my face and got up to check the mirror and see if my eyeliner was currently making me look like a raccoon.

"Don't worry about your makeup, it’s fine," Cory said, a smug smile crossing his face. "Why do you wear so much makeup anyways? You never did before."

I glared at him. "Why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be sucking face with one of your whores about now?"

Cory's smile only widened. "I thought we should have some bonding time. I was going to drive you to school… but if you want to walk, be my guest." He gestured to the window that overlooked a fire escape… and showed that it was pouring rain outside.

"I own an umbrella, dumbass. Go drive your shitty car by yourself."

He nervously laughed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "This wasn't exactly how I planned this conversation to pan out."

I stood up and walked over to him. We were now only three feet apart, and it felt as if there was electricity in the air between us. Not the good kind- nope. Not at all. Definitely the bad shit.

"So tell me, Cory, how exactly did you plan for this to pan out'? You haven't said a word to me in two weeks, so why would you start now?"

"Well, you should know, Eleanor, that your friends happen to be worried sick about you. They think you're going to do something stupid, and I told them that you're not that kind of girl. They told me that I was wrong. I would like to know what that was about, too. It's not every day you hear second handedly that your sister tried to commit suicide!"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Tears were in his eyes now, and I realized that this was the first time in a long time that I had seen him express emotion. "Who told you that?"

"When? When did that happen? And why does it seem like I'm always the last to know?"

"Who fucking told you that, Cory?"

His hands wiped over his face as he turned around and started to pace. I still couldn't get my leg muscles to move. "Why would you do that, Eleanor?"

"It was two years ago, Cory! You tell me why!"

"Oh, don't blame me." He stopped pacing and turned to face me. "God, Eleanor! What were you thinking?"

I couldn't help the fit of rage that overcame me. "What was I thinking? What is Mom thinking when she drinks herself away every night and doesn't eat during the day? What does she think? Who does she think she is, making us raise ourselves? Huh? I'd like to know the answer to that question!"

I knew I hit a sour note when Cory's face turned red. "Mom does her best, you know that! You're nothing but a selfish bitch!"

My hand immediately made connection with his face, and a sound of a smack was the only thing to be heard in the room. "How dare you. You come into my room and call me a bitch? Since when has this been okay, Cory? Since when was it okay to call your sister a bitch? Since when was it okay to do this to me? This is the fucking reason I attempted."

A single tear fell from the corner of his eye, and his face contorted into pain. The look in his eyes made me remember the Cory that I would carve pumpkins with on Halloween, stuff myself with on thanksgiving, and open presents with on Christmas morning.

I saw my brother.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "You need to get your shit figured out."

All of the sudden arms were wrapped around me and I was smothered by the scent of my little brother. I felt a wetness start to creep into my shirt as he buried his head into my shoulder. His shoulders were shaking and he was gasping breaths. He was crying.

"I-I'm so sorry, Eleanor… I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore… I just feel so lost."

I rubbed circles on his back and hummed into his ear, slowly easing the two of us to the floor. I kissed the top of his head, and took a breath in his hair. I smiled a bit, glad to know that he was showering properly.

"We both are, Cory. We both are."

After a few minutes of sitting there holding each other, I was starting to get bored. I mean, I love my brother and all, but I didn't exactly want to miss school. God knows what would happen when Louis comes back and sees my grades.

Louis…

"Cory, we need to get going. I need someone to drive me to school," I said, my voice sounding raspier than I would have liked.

Cory's head shot up off of my shoulder and sprang up, obviously feeling stupid about showing emotion. He wiped his eyes and looked at his hands like the wetness was an acid that was designed to slowly kill him.

"You ready to go?" he asked, helping me up. I nodded, wiping the tears from my own eyes.

"Do I look like a raccoon? Cause I feel like one now."

Cory's eyebrow quirked and he smiled. "All I see is my sister for who she truly is."

I sprinted over to the bathroom to check my face in the mirror, and saw that I did in fact look like a raccoon. Damn makeup.

"Very funny, Cory. Very funny," I mumbled, grabbing a pad to wipe off all the eyeliner and mascara that had spread all over on my face.

"Why don't we walk today?" Cory asked, popping his head into the bathroom. "The rain cleared up, and I don't want to deal with the traffic."

"Sure, why not?"

Cory grinned then walked out of the bathroom as I started to re-apply my eyeliner. It really wasn't weird starting to talk to Cory again. If anything, it was like we had picked up from where we left off. But at the same time, there will probably be some problems with hurt feelings and shit.

As soon as I was finished, I turned off the lights and jogged to the kitchen, where Cory was waiting for me. He tossed me a peeled orange with the same grin he had when he left.

"We should get going," he told me. "Mom is asleep in her room, I checked."

I nodded and picked at the orange with a small smile. I had my Cory back. But Louis…

"Let's get going," I said, throwing a large chunk of the orange into my mouth and grabbed my backpack.

Cory held the door open for me, and I laughed when he bowed to me. Yeah, I definitely have my Cory back. He followed me out the door, and we walked down the stairway with a comfortable silence. We continued on into the streets of Manhattan still in a comfortable silence… surrounded by noise.

"I miss my friend too, Eleanor," Cory voiced. "It's okay to be sad."

I looked up at him with a small smile. "I'm not sad, Cory. I'm just worried. He was there for me when a lot of people weren't."

I swear I saw a single tear escape the corner of his eye before he turned his head away from me. "I'm really sorry, Eleanor. I'm probably going to be spending the rest of my life trying to make it up to you… but I will. I promise."

I wrapped an arm around him in a half-hug, but it was hard considering he was wearing his backpack. And the fact that he's like twenty feet tall. "I've already forgiven you, Cory. No hard feelings."

He looked down at me, and the look in his eyes made me take in a hard breath. We stopped walking, and he pulled me over to the side of the walkway. "Uh, yeah, I think it’s fine to be mad at me for what happened to you. You tried to kill yourself, Eleanor! And I wasn't there!"

My confusion turned into anger. "Why can't you let it go? You weren't there, but Louis was! He didn't know who I was when he saw me on the bridge. He stopped, talked to me, and got me help. I don't really like talking about what happened, which is why I never told you. It's not like you would have stopped making out with one of your bitches to listen to me anyways!"

Cory looked like he took a slap to the face. His voice took a complete 360 and turned into a mutter that I had to strain my ears to hear. "I wasn't there, El. I wasn't there."

"Louis was there, Cory. He saved me. But you can be here with me now. We need to find our friends. Together."

He nodded. "Yeah, we do. We should get to school, too. I think we're well on our way to skipping first hour."

I laughed, and started walking with a new hop in my step. "So… how did you find out about 'the incident' anyways?"

"Uhm…" I looked up to see he had a blush on his face.

"Oh my God, did you sleep with one of my friends?"

His face turned to one of shock. "What? I'm not that stupid, Eleanor!"

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. "So who was it?"

He coughed a bit, and turned his head away from me. "Briana," he mumbled, turning back to look at me with an expectant look on his face.

"So you got a little crush on Briana, huh?"

Cory scoffed, but his blushing face betrayed him. "Yeah, right."

We moved in a comfortable silence for a while, and Louis's disappearance started to weigh on me. I mean, sure, I have Cory back… but what happens if we don't get Louis back? Or Harry Styles? I know that Cory and Harry are pretty close. If Cory loses Harry… I don't know what would happen.

"You know that Harry's got a crush on Louis?" Cory asked, a small whimsical smile on his face. "That's why he can't stop messing with him. He doesn't know how to properly speak to guys. I guess he's used to them falling all over him."

"And you're not?"

"Touché."

We made small talk the rest of our journey to school. I forgot how funny Cory could be, and I think I missed that the most. He was easy to be myself around. A perfect younger brother.

We walked into the school when there was a frenzy of students rushing to get to their next class. Cory and I slowly walked to our second hours, which happened to be right next to each other… and on the opposite side of the school.

I didn't have to avoid anyone, which I enjoyed. People in this school knew to keep their distance, or I will beat them up. Happens all the time.

I knew the moment Cory noticed this was when one of his fellow football players was walking down the hallway and was about to stop and talk to Cory, but he realized that I was there. He turned around and practically ran away.

"What did you do to these people, Eleanor?" Cory leaned down to ask. "They're all scared of you."

I smiled. "You were wondering why I wear makeup earlier," I joked. "This is why."

All of the sudden, I saw a streak of hair and was knocked to the floor. "Eleanor!" I heard Cory exclaim.

The person who knocked me to the floor started to speak at a rapid pace. "Where have you been all morning! I thought you were taken too! Oh my, I'm sorry for hitting you… are you okay?" My vision cleared up and I realized that it was Kendall Jenner.

"Kendall… what's going on?" Cory asked, helping the both of us off of the ground.

I gave Cory a pat on the shoulder. "Kendall's a friend, Cory. But that much was obvious." I turned to face my new friend. "What happened, Kendall?"

"You don't know?" Her green eyes were full of fear. "Harry's mom was murdered in Cancun a few nights ago, and it was just released this morning that it has a connection to his kidnapping!"

My eyes went wide. "Anne? She was murdered?" Cory asked, his voice frantic.

Kendall shook her head. "No, it was his stepmother, Samantha. The investigators found a note that was signed N.G., though. I'm worried… if they murdered his stepmother, then what might have they done to Harry and Louis?"

Cory and I shared a look and dragged Kendall to Mr. Brunner's room. He was in the middle of giving a lecture to his class, but as soon as he saw us at the door, he knew something was up. "The rest of the notes are online in a PDF file on my website. Mr. Argus will escort you to the computer lab for you to further your knowledge in Ancient Greece. I expect these notes to be completed by tomorrow. Good luck."

Mr. Brunner nodded to Mr. Argus who was seated in the back of the classroom, who then took control. Once they all were gone, Cory and I walked with Kendall in tow to meet with him in the classroom. I sat on top of a desk, Kendall properly sat in one, and Cory was pacing.

We probably looked like a mess.

"What on earth is going on?" Mr. Brunner asked, looking at Kendall with some slight confusion.

"Kendall, tell him what you just told us," I said, nodding at her.

She nodded back, her expression turning into one of pure business. She started to explain to Mr. Brunner about what had happened to Harry Styles's stepmother a few days ago and how some investigators think that it had been related to the kidnapping.

Mr. Brunner showed no emotion through his whole debriefing, and when Kendall was done, he simply nodded. "That's very interesting Miss Jenner. You said that the note was signed with a NG?"

She nodded, her olive toned face turning a dark shade of red. I expected her to do something shy and hide behind her hands, but she didn't. I guess I underestimated this girl.

"Very interesting indeed," Mr. Brunner confirmed, before wheeling to his desk and typing something. The silence was awkward to say the least. I felt like he already knew what Kendall told us… but wouldn't he share that kind of information with us?

"The others should be arriving to this room any minute now. I sent an email to their teachers to get them out of this period. What Miss Jenner has told us brings something new to light. I will explain what I mean as soon as the others arrive."

Kendall looked at the three of us curiously, obviously wanting to know what he meant by 'others,' but she was smart and kept her mouth shut.

It didn't take long for the others to get here. Niall and Briana seemed surprised to see me here, while Liam, Zayn, and Nick seemed surprised to see Harry's ex here. I guess today was just full of surprises.

"Kendall? Why are you here?" Mitch asked, and everyone pretty much turned to look at Kendall.

"Yeah, why are you here?" Briana repeated, a perfectly manicured eyebrow raising.

"Guys, let her talk." Everyone looked at me in shock. Besides Cory- but that's not really the point. "She obviously has something to say, so let her say it."

Kendall gave me a shy smile before turning to the others with the same business-like look she had earlier. Then, just as she had explained to Mr. Brunner, Cory, and I, she explained what had happened to Harry's step mother.

"Holy shit," Liam muttered, his eyes wide.

Kendall just nodded in response. "I just hope they're okay."

No one talked, all thinking the same thing. None of us wanted to know what would happen if Louis or Harry weren't to come out of this. I don't know what I would do…

Cory coughed, cutting through the tension in the room. "Uh, Mr. Brunner, you said that you had something to tell us… something that pertained to what Kendall said."

Mr. Brunner nodded at Cory, and took off his glasses, as if inspecting them for a speck that wasn't there. "Something like this has happened before."

We all looked at him in shock. "What do you mean?" I spoke, my voice hoarse.

Mr. Brunner's eyes turned glassy as he stared off into space. "First, I must tell you that Louis was not alone the first time he was taken."

No one knew what to say. Niall and Briana had a hand over their mouths, covering up a gasp, and the boys were gaping like fish. And me? Well, I was mad.

"What do you mean he was not alone? Why didn't you tell us this earlier!"

Mr. Brunner looked down, ashamed, and didn't speak. So, I did.

"I thought you told us everything we needed to know!"

He snapped his head toward me with a glare. "I did tell you everything that you needed to know, Miss Calder. You did not need to know that Louis had someone with him before. But now you do. Which is why I am verbalizing it now."

Cory spoke up, "Why wasn't any information about the other person in the police reports?"

"It was a complicated situation, Mr. Calder. Louis had no recollection of his time in the Gallows with his captor. The person who had been with him was his sister, Felicité. She was a daughter of Johannah, as is Louis. Felicité had said she was going to run away, so Johannah and the police thought nothing of her.

"Louis only remembered two years ago that his sister was with him, and he has been receiving help from a psychiatrist ever since. The more he can remember, the more help we had to find his captor."

Kendall cut in, "Uh, so what happened to his sister?"

Mr. Brunner's face turned grave. "A year ago, Louis remembered that she had been killed. She sacrificed herself so Louis could escape."

"There was no body?" I asked, my eyes wide.

Mr. Brunner nodded sadly. "There hasn't been a body that fits the description."

"Holy shit," Liam repeated.

"You could say that again," I mumbled.

He heard me, and opened his mouth to repeat it, but luckily Cory caught him in the act. "Bro, don't."

Liam just shrugged, and went to stand back in the shadows. Nick and Zayn were leaning against the wall behind Cory, who still was pacing. Briana and Niall had copied Kendall and were sitting in the desks, while I sat on top of one.

"So how does this relate to Samantha’s murder?" I asked, leaning back onto my palms.

"Louis's two young siblings, Daisy and Phoebe, who were just newborns at the time, were smothered in their bassinets late in the night. A note signed by NG was the only thing the police were able to find.”

"Johannah had two other kids?" Briana asked, her eyes wide.

"No, these children were the offspring of his father and stepmother," Mr. Brunner explained.

"No wonder why he doesn't talk to them anymore," I shared, a hand coming to my face. "He's never talked about having siblings before, though. This is new to me."

"It's news to all of us," Niall agreed.

The bell sounded, signaling the end of the class period. Mr. Brunner looked at his watch. "We cannot speak in here for the rest of the day. I suggest that you get together later tonight and see what you can come up with."

Kendall looked at everyone with an amused smile. "Even me?"

Zayn barked out a laugh and clapped her on the shoulder. "Sure Jenner, even you."

"Where are we going to meet at?" Cory asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "El and I don't exactly have a lot of space in our apartment…"

Briana shook her head, "We can go to my house after school. Someone's gotta bring the food, though."

"I'll bring tacos!" Kendall exclaimed. "If you don't want some Taco Bell tacos, you can bring your own food."

"I'll text Cory my address and he can forward it to the others, right Cory?" Briana asked, and Cory's blush soon followed.

"Uh, yeah."

"Perfect! We'll meet up at my house after school!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoo

"So, you and Briana?"

Cory and I were walking together to Briana's home, which really wasn't very far away. It was a really sweet penthouse that probably costs a few million dollars. Good news her family is rich.

"Me and Briana what?"

I looked up at Cory with a knowing smile. "You're avoiding the question! So it's true!"

Cory scoffed, and fiddled with the phone in his hands. "We just text every now and then. It's not like we're dating or anything."

"So you like her?"

Cory playfully glared at me. "What do you mean by like her?"

I laughed and slapped his chest. "You're hopeless, Cory. Just tell her you like her! I know Briana, and if she flirts with you and takes the time to text you- she's got a crush on you."

He smiled a little bit, and we continued to walk in silence. It was then that I put two and two together. "Let me guess… she was the one who told you about what happened two years ago!"

Cory nodded. "She asked me if you were okay, and she seemed pretty concerned. I asked why it mattered, and she told me. I pretty much walked straight into your room after, and well, you know the rest."

I nodded.

We arrived to Briana's home within a few minutes, and the doorman recognized me from the previous times I had been to her home, and let us in. "Hello Ms. Calder, Ms. Jungwirth told me that you and a few others would be coming."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Theo, having a good day?"

His smile became more loose and sarcastic. "Always, Ms. Calder."

The elevator took us to Briana's floor, and directly into her penthouse. It was cool, really, because the house itself had two floors. Which was a lot for living in New York.

"Briana?" I called, walking towards the living room.

"In here!"

Cory and I walked into the living room space to see everyone else there with the police reports and tacos filtering the tables and floor.

"Been busy?" I asked, taking a seat next to Niall, who was sat by Briana on the floor Kendall was lying on the ground in front of us. The guys were on the other side of the table, and that's where Cory took his spot.

"Yeah, very," Kendall said sarcastically, chomping on a taco. "You know, I thought this was going to be more exciting."

"Well, I don't exactly know if I should be mad or glad about that statement," Briana joked.

"Oh my God."

We all looked up to see Zayn, who was holding a picture taken from the security cameras before Louis had been taken the first time.

"What is it?" Cory asked, taking the photo from his hands. Zayn pointed to something on the picture, and Cory tensed up. "You guys should take a look at this."

Everyone went and huddled around Cory to see what Zayn was pointing at.

I gasped.

Standing on the corner of the street with an umbrella in his hands was a young Harry Styles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact!  
> This chapter is the only chapter without a period at the end of the sentence. Granted, the word "Felicité" isn't a sentence, but I wanted to give her a little tribute because she means so much to dear Lou in this fic and in the real world too.  
> Shit's gonna hit the fan real soon. Next chapter is one to remember.


	4. stage 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: Mentions of beatings and drowning.  
> This chapter is not as in depth of violence as before, but it's more mentally scaring to our beloved characters this time around.  
> As of this chapter, things are going to start getting less violent, but I will continue to warn you about any potential triggers.  
> These chapters are going to get shorter until the final few. This one is 8,430 words, a huge difference from the 14,000 from last chapter. They'll be easier to read for a bit.  
> Please let me know if I missed any triggers, I'm super, super sorry if I did!  
> Enjoy!

-Louis POV-

"He's a pretty one, ain't he?"

"Better than the last one, that's for sure."

I was being dragged through the halls of the prison Styles and I were being held in. I knew that much because of the tightening, pulling sensation that coursed through my arms, and the feeling of traction from my bare feet.

I also knew that the two idiots dragging me thought I was unconscious so I didn't risk opening my eyes. Until I heard something that made an old idea pop into my head.

The sound of a radio.

"Is the subject back in place yet? Over."

White noise echoed throughout the hallway, and one man that was dragging me stopped in place and sighed. "Damn officials. Can't do shit right around those assholes."

A deep chuckle sounded in response. "They're assholes alright. Every last one of 'em."

"I repeat, is the subject back in place? Over!'

"Yeah, Yeah, we're on our way. Subject is detained and unconscious, sir. Over."

And with that the dragging continued, and I was starting to get annoyed of being in the presence of such idiots. If they didn't stop talking about their sexual adventures and what they thought Nick should do to me, I was going to kill them.

All of the sudden, the dragging stopped, and my upper body was dropped to the ground. I hit my head pretty hard, and from the previous injuries I had sustained, I had to hide my wince of pain.

"Think the other one is awake yet?"

"Nah- Nick hit him pretty hard. Doubt a pretty boy like that had ever gotten hit like that in his life."

Styles? Nick knocked him out?

"He had no choice but to knock him out after he went ballistic 'bout this cutie here. Wonder if he's screwing him?"

"Doubt it. Nick wouldn't let them be together if that happened. The little pretty boy is his possession now. Little thing never had a chance."

They laughed, and I took that opportunity to crack one eye open. One goon was struggling with a lock to get a door open, which I assumed was the door to where Styles and I were being held. The other goon was messing around with his gun. Both were too busy to see me.

I saw the radio attached to the pant leg of the goon trying to get into the cell, and I knew this was my chance. Slowly but surely, I pick-pocketed the radio from the ignorant goon with his back to me, stuck it in my jeans, and went back to being perfectly still.

Like I said before: idiots.

I felt myself being dragged again, and then kicked, forcing my body to roll into an open area. By the laughing and the sound of a door closing, I figured I played the part of a limp body pretty well.

"Oh God, Tomlinson!"

Almost immediately, I heard the sound of someone rushing over to me and felt hands on my face. The hands moved from my face to my neck then my arms. One hand was searching for a pulse, and the other rubbing soothing circles on my hand. I didn't want them to stop, but I knew I had to wake up sometime.

I opened my eyes to see Styles, in all of his glory, hovering over me. His eyebrows were scrunched together rather cutely, and his green eyes were intense and full of worry. After gazing at him for a few seconds, I realized that he hadn't seen me open my eyes.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," I croaked.

His eyes met mine, and his face lit up into a smile. The hand that was checking for my pulse came to my cheek. "Thank God you're alright! I thought they killed you after I doubted you… I'm so sorry."

I grabbed the hand that rested on my cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for," I insisted. "I'm the one who lied to you about the last time I was here. You had every reason to doubt me, and for that I'm sorry."

He smirked, and wore a triumphant look on his face. "Technically you never lied to me. You just withheld information, and I completely understand why you would want to do that."

"A lie of omission, then."

"A lie of what?"

I rolled my eyes, and took his hand off my cheek. "A lie of omission, dumbass. I withheld information from you, which is technically called a lie of omission."

He huffed and crossed his arms, then looked down at me. "I'm just trying to say that I'm mad at you. Okay?"

I looked away from him, starting to get mad because he wasn't mad at me. I screwed up big time, and fell into one of Nick's traps. I know that he probably feels bad too, but he has no reason to. I was the culprit this time. It's me that needs to be blamed. Why can't Styles see that?

After a minute of stubbornly refusing to look at Styles, I heard him let out a heavy sigh and start to move away. That kind of made me feel even worse.

I turned to see that his back was to me, and he was messing around with his hands, both of which were covered in blood. I looked down at my body and my eyes widened at the sight. I was covered in blood- my blood.

Nick's goons really did beat me to shit.

That made me feel even worse. Styles obviously wanted to help me, and I acted like a selfish brat, again, and pushed him away. Why can't I do anything right?

"Styles, I'm sorry," I spoke, my eyes digging into his back. "Styles…" He still didn't turn around.

I bit back a groan as I lifted myself up into a sitting position. My arms and back were screaming in pain from the beating that I had just previously received, but I shook it off. It's nothing that I haven't obtained before.

I made a move to crawl toward him, but a splitting pain that emitted from my ankle told me otherwise. "Dammit!"

Styles's body snapped back to face me, and his eyes widened when he saw what I was trying to do. "Tomlinson! What the hell?"

He scurried over to me, and grabbed my shoulders to ease me back to the ground. I slapped his hands away and glared at him. After seeing the wild look in his eyes, I chose to avoid the problem. "I'm fine. We have bigger problems on our hands, so I think we should focus on those for the time being."

He nodded, and ran a hand through his hair. I noticed the slight change in posture, how he seemed to relax a bit. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"And I'm sorry for not telling you about my sister."

He gave me a small smile and held out a hand. I smiled back at him and shook it. A little tingle went up my arm at the contact, but I shrugged it off.

Styles made a move to go back to sitting by the wall, and I tried to follow him, this time getting into a standing position, but I let out a yelp from the stinging pain of my ankle. He threw me a look of concern. "You sure you don't need help?"

I scoffed, and tried to shake off the pain that flooded through my leg. "I'm sure I can walk a few feet, Styles."

He snickered at my stubbornness and took his spot against the wall and watched me struggle to walk over to him. Eventually I made it, and let out a breath as I sat next to him. "Told you I could do it."

"Never doubted you."

I laughed at the serious look on his face, and he smiled at me. Our eyes locked and it was as if the universe came to a standstill. That was the moment that I realized that Styles was special.

"Anyways, what is this plan of yours?" Styles asked, forcing his eyes away from mine.

I looked at my hands as I was forced back into reality. "My plan is simple. We need to figure out the weakness of scheduling that occurs. From what I've been able to see so far is that different men come at different times. The same group of men come at the same time, though. It's as if they're all on time slotted shifts, like a regular workplace."

Styles pursed his lips and his eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion. "I don't understand how this can help us."

"This helps us because if we can figure out the scheduling of the shifts, then when they switch shifts we can escape. Simple."

"So, uh, how exactly are we supposed to figure that out?"

I pulled out the radio from the back of my jeans. "This."

"Uh… should I be afraid to touch that thing?"

I rolled my eyes and placed it into his hands. "Nothing you've never touched before, Styles."

"Touché."

"Anyways, by using this radio, we will be able to figure out when the shifts change. This means that we will be able to know when we can escape!"

Styles rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "How do we know we won't get lost?"

"I was here before, and I remember the route I had to take to escape. I don't think I could forget it even if I tried."

He nodded, and placed a hand on my shoulder. He looked into my eyes and threw me a weary smile, like a soldier would to their comrade. "I trust you."

I nodded. But I couldn't help but think what would happen if I was wrong.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next few days passed by quickly. Styles and I spent many hours in silence, and the both of us seemed to be wondering the same thing. Is this going to work? Or are we wasting this much time for nothing?

The frequency of our meals helped us keep track of the time and duration of the shifts, as it seemed that the meals were served at the same time every day. We weren't given that much food and water- but it was enough for us to stay alive.

I noticed that Styles started to lose weight, the muscles that were so defined were starting to atrophy and become weak. We tried to do pushups and sit-ups as much as we could, but it seemed that with the amount of food and sleep we were getting it was useless.

I was glad that there wasn't a mirror, as I was scared to see what my reflection looked like. Styles wasn't the only one losing weight. That was one of the things that was different from last time. Fizzy wouldn't let me become unhealthy, and tried to keep things as routine as possible.

Now it seemed to just be a waiting game.

One day, Styles and I were sitting in our usual spots against the wall. The silence was deafening at that particular time, and I was wishing that time would just pass by. I was getting even more homesick than usual, thinking about my friends, and what they probably think that happened to me.

"What was your sister like?" Styles asked, breaking the silence.

I looked at him for a second in shock, then smiled at the curious look on his face. "Fiz was special. She was the best older sister that a person could ask for, and I loved her. She was so protective of me, and I remember that would do anything to keep me safe."

"Sounds like a cool girl."

A wistful smile found its way to my face. "She was the best. I remember this one time when our mother refused to get us ice cream, and that was the one thing that I wanted. She snuck out and bought some Tom and Jerry's peppermint bon-bon ice cream, and that's the only thing I've ever allowed myself to eat ever since."

Styles laughed before saying, "Going for the expensive stuff, huh?"

I couldn't help but chime in with my own laughter. "Fizzy always said that if you have money, might as well use it!"

"Your sister must have been smart."

I nodded, and was about to reply when I stopped myself. I came to the realization that I've never talked about Fizzy like this. I never talked to my mother, my friends, or even my therapist about this. So why did it feel so natural to talk to someone like Styles?

"I have some secrets too, you know," Styles said, cutting through the tension. His hand slowly grabbed onto mine and he started to rub soothing circles with his thumb.

My eyes widened and I looked at him in shock. I didn't pull away, and he didn't meet my eyes, instead he kept his eyes glued to our connected hands. "I guess sometimes I get really mad at people who are perfect; people who have a perfect family, perfect friends, perfect grades… I guess it makes me realize that I'll never get to have that."

I swallowed hard. "You thought I had a perfect life?"

He nodded, but his head still remained down. "And now that I know what had happened to you… it makes me feel like I've been such an idiot. No one really has a perfect life, you know? Everyone has something haunting them, no matter how big or small."

"Woah, that's pretty deep Styles. Good for you."

"I just wish it didn't take being kidnapped to figure that out."

I couldn't bring myself to say any more about the topic. Honestly, I was still in shock that Styles and I were somehow able to mesh well together. If someone had told me that this was going to happen a year ago, I would have expected to be dead by now. But now… now I'm not so sure.

"You don't have to apologize to me anymore, Styles. You know what you did wrong, and I know that once we get out of here, you're going to right your wrongs."

His hand withdrew from mine, and went to run through his hair. "How do you know that? How can you be so sure that I can change?"

"You want to change, right?"

"Duh."

"Then there's your answer,"

Styles turned to look at me with a questioning look plastered on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I've come to meet the real Harry Styles. He is probably one of the greatest people I've ever met. The real you is strong, loyal, and brave. That is the person that I've come to trust, and believe in. Styles, I believe that you can change. I trust that you will, and if not, just know that I'll kick your ass."

His eyes widened, and the largest smile I've ever seen spread across his face. He was practically glowing, and I knew that I was looking at someone truly special to this world. "Thanks, Tomlinson. I mean, thanks for trusting me like that… it means a lot."

I smiled at him and he reached over to hold my hand once more. We sat in a comfortable silence, pondering over the words I had just said. I knew he needed to hear it, and that he needed to know that I trusted him. He had been pretty clear about telling me that he trusted me, so I needed to return that favor.

I guess that's what makes us a good team.

That's when I realized something else. Something that made me smile.

"Hey Styles?"

"Yeah?"

"I realize that you practically know my life story while I don't know anything about you. And as long as we're spilling out our deepest secrets to one another, care to share?"

"Well, my childhood wasn't anything special. My parents split just after I was born, and my mom was left to raise me on her own."

I sighed, and patted his hand. "She must be a strong woman, going through that."

Styles nodded, then a small smile lit up his face. "A few years ago, she met my stepfather who teaches at our school, Mr. Twist. I was happy that she found someone to make her happy after all those years. She never gave up on me, no matter what. She's pretty much the best mother anyone could ask for."

"I'd love to meet her."

"She'd love you. Hell, she loves all of my friends. The only reason why we go over to my house is because of my mom's blue chocolate chip cookies. No one could ever come close to making them as good as her."

I looked at him in shock. "Blue cookies?"

He laughed at my expression, then explained, "When I was a kid, my favorite color was blue. Still is, actually… but anyway, she used blue food coloring to turn my food blue so I'd eat it. It kind of became a tradition, but don't worry- now days she only turns cookies blue."

I laughed, trying to imagine a younger version of Styles refusing to eat food because it wasn't blue.

Styles continued with his story, "So, my mom raised me, and my dad was pretty much a mystery until a few years ago. He seemed to be a decent guy, but at the same time he left my mother to struggle. My mom didn't make a big deal about him reappearing, but it messed me up. I realized that I could never be the perfect son… and it messed with my head."

"Styles…"

"So when I had to choose between my mom and Sam, I froze," he choked on a sob. "My mom raised me, loved me, and cared for me, but I froze when I thought about my father. I actually thought for a second about choosing my step mother to please him! Over my own mom!"

Styles dissolved into quiet sobs, and his hand left mine to cradle his face. "Styles-"

"You don't understand, Tomlinson! You don't understand what happened!"

Tears started to form into my eyes as I looked at the crushed boy in front of me. He has been wearing his heart on his sleeve, and now his loyalty is practically crushing him from the inside.

"You're right. I don't understand what happened. I'm not even going to try to… but please, Styles. Remember who you are. Remember who the real enemy is. This is not your fault."

"But I killed-"

"You weren't the one that pulled the trigger. You were given an impossible choice, and it's not fair. But now you have to remember who the real enemy is. You can't start doubting yourself, not after all we've been through." I crawled to his side and embraced the sobbing boy in front of me. 

"I just don't know what to do, Tomlinson," he whispered. "I just don't know what to do."

I choked on my breath. "What did you just say?"

His shoulders slumped even more, and he dug is face into his hands. "Please don't make me repeat it. I don't like being weak."

I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. "You're just like her, you know that?"

He slowly looked up from his hands and his eyes met mine. Tears and all. "Just like who?"

"I just realized that you're exactly like Fizzy. She had said the same thing you just did… I just didn't place the connections until now."

"But you said that she was the strongest person you knew-"

"Only to be replaced by you. Styles, you underestimate yourself. You think your love for your friends and family makes you weak. The truth is that the love you have for your friends and family makes you strong, it doesn't make you weak."

"Thanks, Tomlinson."

I shook my head. "No, thank you. You keep me going, Styles. Fiz kept me going before… but you keep me going now. So thank you."

He smiled at my words and threw an arm around me. "You're a great friend, Tomlinson. You're one of a kind."

"Woah," I joked. "What happened to Kendall!"

Styles threw his head back in laughter. "Well she's pretty special, too."

"She broke up with you, didn't she?" I asked, starting to get mad at myself for bringing up the topic. Of course he still likes her.

"Yeah, she did."

"But you still love her?"

He paused for a second, and an odd look crossed his face before disappearing as quickly as it came. "Yeah. Guess I do."

I struggled to hide the pain I felt in my chest after hearing those words, but I knew they needed to be said. "So, I guess you have something worth fighting for, Styles."

A small smile crossed his face and he asked, "Do you have something worth fighting for, Tomlinson?"

I gave a wistful smile as I nodded. A hurt look flashed on his face for a second before he gathered his bearings and another smile took its place. I knew it was fake. "So who might that be?"

"Unfortunately for me, she died ten years ago."

Styles's eyes widened, and he reached for my hand but was cut off by a voice. Nick's voice.

"It's time for the real fun to start."

The laugh that followed was sickening and frightening. Gas started to come into the cell through the air vents, and Styles reached for my hand one more time. I met him halfway.

I could feel Styles rubbing soothing circles on my hand through the noise of Nick's laughing as everything faded into darkness.

-Harry POV-

It was dark. As I woke up, I couldn't tell what was up and what was down. I could feel my throat clench and my heart start to beat faster as I reached out into the darkness, looking for anything that could possibly tell me where the hell I was.

As soon as my hand hit concrete, a breath I didn't know I was holding escaped from my lungs. I used the wall as a support to help me stand up and enjoy being free of restraint.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized where I was. It looked like a tunnel of some sort… but only there were no ceilings. It seemed as if the space above me was even darker than the space in front of me, which was a little creepy. The concrete walls stretched far beyond where my eyes could see. That was when I realized what had led me into this position.

"Nick!" I called, "Where the hell are you, you coward!"

My voice echoed and with each echo my heart beat seemed to get faster and faster. I was starting to understand what was happening.

"What do you want from me?" I yelled, and a cold sense of dread washed over me as my voice continued to echo, followed by an abrupt silence. I didn't know what was more terrifying, the echo or the silence that followed.

I knew that I wasn't getting anywhere yelling at the darkness, so I decided that I would start to make a use of myself. Bracing myself with a hand on the wall, I slowly started to walk forward.

It felt as if all my senses were in overdrive. The touch of the concrete, the smell of death, the absence of sound, and the strain of my eyes as I tried to see what was in front of me.

After moving about twenty feet, my legs were numb and I held onto the gasp that was trying to escape my mouth. I came to a sudden stop, and I felt my eyes go wide. I knew where I was. Nick placed me inside some sort of maze!

Sweat started to drip from my hair and mix with the blood and grime that had already made its home on my forehead. "What the fuck is this Nick? Huh? Planning to make me claustrophobic? Yeah, well fuck you!"

I knew that claustrophobia is definitely a fear of mine, but if there was one thing Tomlinson taught me- it was to face my fears. God, I bet he does that every day. I was going to conquer this thing for him. I could only hope that he was doing the same thing for me. I need him to be okay.

We need each other to be okay.

I mean, I might not be in love with him and all, but that doesn't mean that I don't care for him. It took awhile for me to trust him, but now that I have, there's no going back. Not with Tomlinson.

My thoughts carried me into a sitting position. The concrete was cool against my back and head, and I kept my eyes peeled for any threats, but I doubted any would come. I knew that Nick doesn't like others doing his dirty work for him; coward or not.

Instead of walking further into the maze and playing along to Nick's fantasy, I decided I would wait. What was he going to do about that? Smoke me out? I'd gladly die of smoke inhalation than go through whatever he has up for me next.

I don't even want to think about what that creep is capable of.

_"No! Please no!"_

__

__

My breath got caught in my throat.

"Mom?" I choked, barely hearing myself over the echo.

_"Please just make it stop!"_

__

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"Mom! No!"

I took off into the maze, trying to find where her voice was coming from. Tears welled up in my eyes as I started to think of how they must have gotten her to beg like that. What a sick son of a bitch!

_"Harry! Please help me!"_

__

__

"Mom! Where are you?"

I ran into a dead end and kicked the wall in frustration. "Mom?"

A shriek of terror was my only answer.

My blood was running cool in my veins and chills ran up and down my spine. It got worse and worse with each scream that echoed throughout the maze. Tears were falling down my face as I ran through the maze like a mad man, trying to find anything that would help me find my mom. Are they going to kill her? Is Nick going to torture her to death because of me?

"Mom! Please just hold on!" I begged, desperately trying to find where the screams were coming from. But they seemed to be coming from everywhere.

The screaming stopped and my feet stopped with it. I now knew that the silence was worse than the screams, at least I knew that my mother was alive when she was screaming… but now… now I don't know. The silence was taunting, mocking me.

"Mom!" I mindlessly started to jog through the maze, searching for any noise that could tell me she was alive. "Mom! Please answer me!"

I hit another dead end and it was as if all hope was lost. I didn't know what to do, where to go, and whether or not my mom was alright. I could use Tomlinson's geniusness right about now.

Wiping my tear stricken eyes I braced myself up against the wall of the dead end and looked into the maze as far as I could. What would Tomlinson do? I knew he wouldn't stand here and cry… he would surely be able to think of something.

I tried to calm myself down as much as I could and think clearly about this. I know that Tomlinson would do that. If there are screams coming from multiple directions, what does that mean? Could it be fake?

Speakers. Nick must be playing an audio recording of him torturing my mom… stupid, messed up son of a bitch! I am going to kill him!

All of the sudden, a voice cut through the silence. _"Harry! Help me!"_

__

__

Cory.

Logic long forgotten, I ran right back into the maze, screaming Cory's name. "Cory buddy, just hold on!"

_"Someone please help me!"_

__

__

"Cory! I'm coming!"

My breathing started to come out ragged and stars started to cloud my vision. Cory's screams of terror and mine following his started to sound farther and farther away as my lungs constricted and my airway became blocked. My body started to go numb as a ringing sound drowned everything out in my ears.

I'm not in the shape I was before… Nick had malnourished Tomlinson and I, breaking our resolve even further, and I was powerless to do anything to stop it. I collapsed against the wall, closing my eyes and trying to drown out Cory's pleads for help.

"It's not real, It's not real, It's not real…" I started to mumble, before I caught myself. What would Tomlinson do?

"I need to save my friends," I decided. Hearing those words out loud seemed to create a second-wind for my body and as adrenaline pumped through my veins I found that it was easier to breathe again.

_"Stop! Please stop!"_

__

__

"Liam!"

Liam was my best friend. He stuck with me through thick and thin, and now I need to do my damn best to help him. He needed me to be strong.

But when Nick's pleads for help were soon joined by Zayn, who was joined by Nick, shudders started to rip through my body and I could feel the optimism fade away, only to be replaced by fear. Fear of what has already possibly happened to my friends. And it was all my fault.

The screams from my friends started to taunt me, and pick at my conscience little by little and I found myself starting to be driven insane. But I was determined to figure out how to stop this madness.

I started to sprint back into the maze, much like I had before, but this time the screams and begging of my friends and mother started to get to me. My sprint slowly turned back into a jog which ultimately turned into a defeated walk. I could feel my very resolve start to crumble, and I didn't have the heart to put it back together again.

Now I understand what Nick wanted to happen. He wanted me to break… and it looks like he was getting what he wanted. I was nothing without my friends, and this proves it. I was practically at the edge, and all I needed was a little push to be past the breaking point.

It seemed as if the push had come right on cue.

_"Harry!"_

__

__

"Kendall! No!"

It was then that the dam was broken and the tears streamed down my face. Kendall's screams tore at the very root of my existence, and my heart seemed to be breaking with every echo that her scream made.

_"Harry, please! Make it stop!"_

__

__

"Kendall!" I screamed, not knowing what else to say. "Kendall!"

_"Harry!"_

__

__

The screams in pain that followed my name were the worst. I was sobbing now, unable to attempt to control my emotions. Nick had Kendall. He had her, and he was torturing her. I loved her, and he was going to kill her… it's all my fault.

"Nick!" I pleaded, falling to my knees. "Nick! Please, stop this! You've won, just please stop this!"

Kendall's screams continued to echo throughout the maze and I continued to choke on my own sobs. I had lost everything… my mother, my friends, the girl I loved. Everything had been taken away from me. All reasons to move on and continue were long gone. Tomlinson couldn't even save me now.

Then, all of the sudden, the screaming stopped. I immediately became quiet as well, and lifted my head up from where it had been hanging in my hands. Half-expecting some gas to seep through the walls or something to knock me out, I hesitantly took a step forward.

When nothing happened, I took a shaky breath. "Nick! You're one sick asshole! You got that? I'm going to kill you for this! I'm going to fucking kill you!"

When I stopped seething in anger, I realized something. My voice didn't echo. What the hell?

"Styles! Get your ass over here and help me!"

"Tomlinson?"

I took off back into the maze, a new fire now fueling my bones.

-Louis POV-

I woke up in what could possibly be considered the worst way possible. I was tied to a chair and my neck was as stiff as a rock. The chair was a cool metal and the shackles that bound me down were digging into my flesh. I was placed in what seemed to be a glass-like box that had no lid. In the corner I could see a ladder and next to it was a sound-board looking thing, but that was it.

For some reason, I felt like I had been here before. And honestly, I probably have.

"Sleeping beauty has finally awaken," a voice rang out. A man with black hair and icy blue eyes stalked forwards from the shadows with a cool grin on his face. He was approaching me as a predator would approach a prey, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Where the hell am I?" I spat, my lips curling into more of a feline growl.

Nick's smile turned into a steely strait glare that was directed at me. He's not a stupid man. Everything that he does, he does it for a reason, and he knows it. I know it. But I don't think Styles knows it yet.

"Besides spiders, I've come to learn what you fear. After your previous visit, some of my men had been checking up on you, learning your likes and dislikes. All so that when the time was right, I would be able to try some new things. It was certainly luck that you and your beloved 'Styles’ were together when I found you. Saved me some time."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Nick's steely expression turned into a care-free smile as he laughed, "Lou, you crack me up! You were never a target. You see, Mr. Styles was always the one that I wanted. You, my dear, seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What do you want with Styles?"

He chuckled as his eyes stared me down with arrogance. "His father is rich, and worked with my father. His father raped my mother and drove her insane, which is exactly on what I plan to do to Desmond’s young child. He needed to feel the pain that I did as I take away the sweet light of his life."

He had moved toward me and slammed his hands up against the glass, causing me to flinch. For the first time I saw Nick for what he really was. A revenge-seeking asshole.

"That doesn't mean that you have any right to lock others up for this! Revenge does nobody any good, and besides, I'm sure that your mother misses you, Nick!"

"I doubt she even knows that I have left."

I let out a bitter chuckle, figuring a way to gain the upper hand. "Your mother definitely knows that you have left her. I go and keep her company, since you and Felicité used to be close. It's the least I can do, especially since we have both been hurt by you!"

"Shut up!"

"You killed your best friend, Nick! You killed my sister! Hell, she was your sister too! And that's not the only thing, you left your mother to die!"

His face turned red and his eyes went glassy as he banged up against the glass with more fervor than he did the last. I couldn't stop myself from flinching from the force. "My mother is gone. The woman I once knew does not exist. And as for your sister, she knew the truth about my intentions, Lou. Therefore, she needed to die."

"Are you going to kill me now? I guess now that I know about your true intentions you're going to have to kill me!"

"Not yet, not yet."

"And who's to stop me from telling Styles? You want to keep him alive to drive him insane right? How are you going to do that if I tell him?"

In response, Nick's icy glare made me catch my breath. "If you think about telling Harry Styles about what my true intentions are, Lou, I will kill everyone you care about and leave you in a cage where you will rot for all of eternity. I don't give a damn about what happens to you or your friends. After all, Mister Tomlinson. You're just a pawn."

My eyes widened and I held the tears back. It was important that I didn't show weakness, and I refused to let him get the upper hand, here. He already has me tied to a chair.

"So you are going to kill me?"

Nick's response sent shivers down my spine. "Of course, dearie. It was a part of my plan all along."

"Wha-"

"Nick! Where the hell are you, you coward!" Styles's voice echoed throughout the chamber. Nick smiled a bit as he turned on a control that immediately brightened up the room.

"Styles?" I asked, my voice dripping with confusion.

"What do you want from me?"

I frantically looked at Nick, whose face was lit up in amusement. "What are you doing to him?" I demanded. "What have you done?"

"Nothing yet, sweet Lou. Nothing yet. Please, just wait and listen to the show."

"What the fuck is this, Nick? Huh? Planning to make me claustrophobic? Yeah, well fuck you!"

I was trying to see if the chains would give to anything that I was doing, but the metal cuffs around my wrists made it hard for any movement to occur. I was stuck, and I knew it.

_"No! Please, no!"_

__

__

My head snapped up with a gasp as I saw Nick finish fiddling with the sound board. My eyes were wide and searching as I suddenly realized where I was. 

Nick's Labyrinth. 

Now I knew why this place had seemed so familiar at first! I had been here before.

"Nick, no, no, no!" I yelled, thrashing against my restraints. "Please don't do this to him! He doesn't deserve the Labyrinth! Please, do something to me if you have to, but please-"

Nick just laughed as a scream sounded through the walls, cutting me off. "I told you I was going to break him, Louis. I have a tendency to stick with my plans."

I winced as I heard another scream sound, this one more masculine. _"Harry! Help me!"_

__

__

I gasped, recognizing the voice. "Cory." I met eyes with Nick, silently begging him to stop this. "Styles won't be recognizable at the end of this! You won't be able to do anything else to him if you continue!"

"Why, Lou?" Nick mocked. "Felicité was able to withstand this little method, and didn't you tell your little Styles that he was even braver than your sister?"

"How did you know that?"

"Darling, I have eyes everywhere."

I closed my eyes, knowing this was no use. I tried to pretend the screams weren't there and completely breaking everything in their path, which included Styles. No, I couldn't think that. But tears welled in my eyes as I remembered that this was all too familiar.

A shrill shriek cut through my thoughts, causing my eyes to snap open. _"Harry!"_

__

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"Kendall! No!" Styles's cry of terror made my heart clench, and the world seemed to stop for a second.

I started to thrash against my bonds again as I heard Styles's sobs coming from the labyrinth. Soon realizing that I wasn't getting anywhere, I turned to Nick and begged like a madman, "Nick! Please, stop this madness!"

He laughed at my desperation. "And why should I, Lou? Why should I end his suffering when that is exactly what I want?"

Tears started to pour from my eyes as I heard Styles beg for Nick to stop. "Styles may love Kendall… but I know that he cares for me. If you want him to break, you break his rock- you break me."

His eyebrows shot up, and an evil smirk crossed his face. "You want me to kill you, why, I never thought I'd see the day where Louis Tomlinson begs for death."

I shook my head wildly. "You can't kill me yet, Nick. I thought you said that you always stick to your plans?" he laughed, and I continued, "Just don't make Harry listen to her."

"Why? Are you jealous, little Lou? Are you jealous that he loves another who betrayed him, and not you-you who has been with him through thick and thin?"

A feeling of absolute depression took over me. "Just stop the recording, Nick."

He laughed. "You are just playing right into my hands, Lou. I thought you were smarter than that."

_"Just do it!" I shrieked._

__

__

He slowly and methodically pressed a button, and the screams stopped. I could clearly hear a ringing sounding through my ears from the noise level in this room. "I hope you know I'm not messing with little spiders again, Lou," Nick informed. "If I were you, I'd start calling for help."

He pressed a different button, and I heard a gurgling noise below me. There was a little drain that started to spout water and my eyes went wide.

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill me!" I exclaimed, looking up at Nick's amused expression.

"Like I said, you better start calling for help, or I guess my plan will need to be slightly altered without you in it."

He disappeared, leaving me gaping at him like a fish. How could I have been so stupid?

"Styles!" I yelled, "Get your ass over here and help me!"

-Harry POV-

"Styles! Hurry up!" Tomlinson's voice gave me more strength to keep on moving- it was a strength that I didn't know I had. I knew I could still save him, and I was going to do just that.

Tomlinson's voice led me to yet another dead end, and I had no idea where to go. I swore that her voice was coming from the wall, but that didn't make any sense. "Tomlinson! Where are you?"

"Styles!" his voice sounded. "You need to push through the wall! That's the only way to enter from the labyrinth!"

I carefully stepped forward and pressed my palms up against the concrete wall of the dead end, praying that this works. With a spirit of energy, I pushed the wall and the concrete somehow gave. It fell, revealing a brightly lit room, and couldn't help but squint at the sight before me.

I nearly laughed in relief when I saw that Tomlinson was there, but my relief was short lived with I saw where he was.

Tomlinson was surrounded by an aquarium-looking thing with the top left open. He was chained to a chair, and I could see that water was seeping in from somewhere on the bottom. It had already reached his shins, and I knew that I had to hurry.

"What do I need to do, Tomlinson?" I asked, walking up the glass container and pressing up against it. "This shit is unbreakable."

Tomlinson just nodded and looked at me with a look of complete calmness. It was as if he was in the middle of a grassy field and not facing death. He must have been able to sense my distress, and I'm lucky he did. I don't know how much more I can take.

"Styles, somewhere in the labyrinth there is a key. You need to find it, then bring it back here to get me out of this case. In the corner of the room there is a ladder where you will use to jump in here and free me from this chair. When you release the chains, the walls of this case will come down, and free the both of us."

"Okay," I said. I backed up to the door I had just previously entered. "I'll be back. Just hold on."

He laughed, but I could hear a tinge of nervousness in his voice. "Go save my ass, Styles."

"You got it!"

I took off back into what Tomlinson called a labyrinth, having no idea how to find that damn key. I started to run around like a madman, checking every possible crevice for a sign, or anything. I just needed to hurry.

_"Louis! Just wait, okay?"_

__

__

_"Felicité! The spiders are scaring me!"_

__

__

_"I know, Louis, I know!"_

__

__

I came to a halt when I heard the voices. There was no echo like there was before, and it was so clear that I could almost follow the voices. I know I had been asking for some sort of a sign, but this just seemed so easy.

I decided to follow it anyway.

_"Felicité, I'm scared!"_

__

__

My heart clenched for the younger boy, who I now know was Tomlinson.

 _"It's okay, Louis! Just be patient for me, okay?"_ Felicité’s voice sounded breathless, much like mine did now. _"I just need to find the key and it will all be over!"_

__

__

Following the voice of Tomlinson's sister, my heart went out to the little boy who never had the chance to be with his sister after his escape. But in my heart I knew that Tomlinson wasn't going to go through that again. I was sure of it.

"Styles!" Tomlinson cried out, "Hurry up!"

My heart started to beat faster from the desperation in his voice, and I started to push myself to go faster. Images of Tomlinson being completely submerged in water taunted me and forced me to push myself even harder. I wasn't going to let him die. I owed him my life- and he wasn't going to get away from me that easily.

"Tomlinson! Hold on!"

"Hold on to what? I don't see anything to hold onto!"

"Relax, okay? I got this!"

I could hear a faint reply from Tomlinson, which caused me to forget about the pain in my legs. He was obviously nervous, which caused me to worry. What if I'm too late?

"How high's the water?" I called out to him.

My chest tightened as it seemed like it took him forever to answer, "Just to my knees, Styles! But hurry up!"

There was a tremor in his voice that told me he was lying.

"Shit!" I yelled, as all of the sudden, the voices of Felicité and a younger Tomlinson sent me into a dead end. _"Shit, shit, shit, shit! What am I supposed to do?"_

__

__

"What is it?" Tomlinson's worried voice rang out.

"Dead end!" my eyesight blurred from the tears that were starting to form. It felt like I was holding the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I was about to collapse.

"Don't worry! Just try what you did to get into the room that I'm in!" I held onto his words like they were a rope pulling me out of the depths of Tartarus.

I went back to the dead end and pushed it down, and took a second to reign in my shock at what I saw. Televisions were playing footage of me outside of this place. Me walking out of my apartment, out of school, at the beach…

Tomlinson needs me.

The key was on a mantle in the middle of the room, and when I grabbed it I half- expected to have a giant boulder start to crush me. But when nothing happened, I ignored Indiana Jones and started to run out of there, temporarily forgetting what I saw.

I ran back to the room, running toward the faint glow in the distance. Now that I had the key, a new feeling took over me. Hope. This hope was sLounger than my fear of being too late, forcing me through the pain and fatigue.

"Styles! Help me!"

I was so close.

"Please help me, Styles!"

Almost there.

"Sty-"

Gurgling. Choking.

He had gone under.

"Tomlinson! No!"

I ran through the door into the room, a sob breaking through my throat at the sight in front of me. Tomlinson was underwater, and his icy blue eyes were wide and terrified. The water had gotten high and his brown hair was loose and astray, forming a halo over his head.

I quickly got the ladder and climbed into the tank. I dived down into the tank, grasping his forearm in an assuring squeeze, then went to work. I fumbled with the lock and key, and released the chains from his body just in time for his to go limp.

The sides of the tank collapsed, and I hoisted Tomlinson's body out of the chair and laid his on the ground. I put my ear to his heart, searching for any signs of life. His heart was beating, but he wasn't breathing.

He wasn't breathing.

I was at a loss of what to do. I had no idea how to do CPR or mouth to mouth, so I improvised. I started to pump down on his chest, giving compressions just like I had seen in the movies.

"C'mon Tomlinson!"

_Pump. Pump. Pump._

__

__

"I need you!"

_Pump. Pump._

__

__

"You can't die on me!"

_Pump. Pump. Pump._

__

__

"You're my best friend!"

_Pump._

__

__

"Please! Please wake up!"

I mindlessly begged for him to wake up, giving up on the damned chest compressions. I found myself with no control over my emotions. "Please, please, please…"

When my mind snapped back into place and I realized nothing was working, I leaned back on my heels and sobbed into the open air. I felt a feeling of loss that I have never felt before.

"Nick! I give up! You win!" I announced, my hands dropping from her chest to my sides. "Please just save him! Do whatever you want to me, just save him!"

I started to slap Tomlinson's cheeks lightly, feeling bile rise in my throat at how white his skin was under my fingers. "Please, Louis! Please wake up. I need you."

All of the sudden, a man came running from the shadowed part of the room and started performing CPR on Louis, leaving me to look on in shock.

I was barely aware of hands holding me back and the feeling of a needle being stabbed into my neck. My eyes started to droop and I collapsed next to Louis, tears in my eyes as I watched a stranger try to save his life.

_He's beautiful._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter we've all been waiting for! Finally, some intimacy between them. Until Nick ruined it, but what can you do.  
> I started school this week! Even though it's online, it's felt like the longest week of my life and I thought I didn't update last week when I was on vacation and I freaked out. Needless to say, I'm happy to dive back into this story, especially since my favorite chapter is coming up soon.  
> Only a few more chapters until shit really hits the fan. I know I said that last chapter, and it did, but it gets worse. You'll get a little bit of a heads up in the chapter names.  
> Each chapter name is a word, phrase, or something I deem super important from the chapter. So keep an eye out for the chapter names throughout the book- they're like little easter eggs.  
> Get excited! The fun continues, in the words of Nick Grimshaw.


	5. number 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: Kidnapping, but that makes sense with this book ahahah.  
> Surprise! I decided to upload this on Tuesday instead of Friday. This week is double update week, so y'all will still get the regular update on Friday, just I decided to do two chapters this week because of the short lengths of these chapters. This week's updates are 9,974 words in total, so even with both chapters, they will still be more short than some of the previous and future updates.  
> This chapter is a filler chapter to let y'all into the minds outside of Nick's happy place, and the next chapter will be a mix of both.  
> Enjoy!

-Eleanor POV-

"Is this some sort of a joke? Are you sure that kid is Harry Styles?"

We had moved on into the dining area and brought the case files and tacos with us. We were currently discussing the lead that we had just come across.

"That's Harry, Eleanor," Kendall concluded. "I've seen his baby pictures, and that's definitely him."

"Do you think this could have been photoshopped?" Liam asked. He looked like he was calm and collected, but a slight tremor in his voice told me differently.

"No, these are the original pictures from the case," Zayn explained. The look of worry on his elfish face looked misplaced, as if it didn't belong there. "They couldn't have been photoshopped."

After seeing Harry in the picture with Louis, it made me realize that this wasn't some sort of game. I realized it wasn't some sort of game where they were hiding and we had to find them, as it went too far back for that. Our friends were really captured. A chill went down my spine at the thought of it.

"What does this mean?" Mitch asked, his voice muffled from a taco that was currently being stuffed into his mouth.

"It means that we might have gotten it all wrong," Cory spoke, running a nervous hand through his hair. "We always thought that Louis was Nick's target, but this information might have proved us all wrong."

"But it could be a coincidence as well," Briana added, her eyes sharpening at the newfound information. "Technically we have no legitimate proof that Nick was actually after Harry at all."

"But if he was after Harry, why might he be? Anne isn't exactly the type to have skeletons in the closet that could endanger her son's life," Kendall continued, and a hand came to her forehead. "I'm starting to get a migraine from all of this thinking."

"It would have been his father," Liam concluded from the corner of the room. "I think his father is some sort of businessman, and maybe Nick wanted the money?"

I shook my head and crossed my arms. "Louis's mother isn't exactly knee deep in debt, either. She is a millionaire, so if Nick had wanted money, he would have given a ransom the first time, don't you think?"

Liam’s eyes flashed and he opened his mouth, but Cory cut him off, "So if it isn't about money, what is it about?"

"Why would anyone want to hurt Harry?" Kendall moaned, letting her head hit the table. "Besides the fact that he's a dumbass and a terrible boyfriend, he doesn't deserve this."

"Neither does Louis," Niall voiced.

"That's why we need to save them," I spoke, confidence flowing through my words. "Does anyone know anything about his father?"

I looked pointedly at the guys, who all shrugged. They all seemed pretty beaten up at the fact that they had no idea who their best friend's father was, and I didn't blame them. Kendall seemed pretty out of it too, and I knew that she was just trying to get past the fact that her ex-boyfriend was being held by a serial killer.

To be honest, I thought she was handling this pretty well.

I couldn't help but start to think about Louis and what he must have had to have gone through. His siblings were murdered, his mother was distancing herself from him, and he was captured again by the man who made his life hell all those years ago. I felt bile rise into the back of my throat at the thought of it.

I knew that if Nick didn't want Louis, then there was no reason for him to be keeping him alive. I don't know what I would do if my best friend weren't to come back. I haven't been able to function without him for a few weeks, but for the rest of my life? I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

I suddenly felt like I was slowly sinking back into my old thoughts and feelings of pain and worthlessness. But only this time I didn't have Louis to save me.

And sitting in a room full of people, I've never felt more alone.

"Hey Eleanor, you okay?"

I jumped in surprise at my brother's voice, saving me from my thoughts.

Briana and Cory were sitting behind a laptop, while Nick and Niall looked to be compiling old ideas from the police report onto a whiteboard (when did that get there?), and lastly Zayn, Kendall, and Liam were sitting at the opposite end of the dining table eating tacos and talking quietly.

I realized that everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at me with confusion, but I shrugged them off and put on a fake smile. "I'm fine, just tired. So, uh, what are we doing?"

I probably looked really stupid sitting in the middle of it all and staring off into space. But what the hell, these guys probably didn't even notice until Cory said something.

Briana went off into a long description of what her and Cory were doing, obviously looking past my obvious awkwardness, while Cory threw me a knowing look.

I glared at him right back, which he, to my pleasure, returned for a brief moment before turning back to the computer screen and wrote something down on a pad of paper that was by his side.

Not really wanting to deal with my brother's problems I decided to move to where Nick and Niall were working. As I approached, I was able to see just how in detail they were getting, and I have to admit that I was impressed. Niall was basically outlining all the possible accomplices to when Louis went missing the first time, and comparing them to the ones now. When I asked him about it, his answer was a little hard to follow.

"We basically are looking for any possible connections between Louis's mom and Harry's dad. Did you know that Harry's dad's name is Desmond? Anyway, apparently Nick's dad was actually employed at Desmond Inc., which means that there actually was some sort of connection between the two. We just don't know the specifics."

I raised an eyebrow at the newfound information. "How exactly did you come up with this stuff?"

Niall blushed while Nick reached back to rub the back of his neck in a sheepish gesture. "We might have hacked into the Desmond Inc. mainframe," Niall admitted, his blush becoming even more prominent on his skin.

I looked at him in shock. "How did you do that?"

Nick spoke up this time, "It was really quite easy actually, their server didn't have too difficult of a firewall, and-"

"You know what? I just decided I don't really want to know how you did it… just, uh, keep doing what you're doing."

Niall nodded and dragged Nick back to the board to keep searching for possible leads. It kind of felt like I just stepped into an episode of Criminal Minds.

I found myself walking back toward Cory, who was now staring at the computer screen alone. I noticed that Briana was sitting next to Kendall and in an intense conversation with Zayn and Liam. Kendall seemed to be getting along with everyone, which was nice to see.

I had hated him for a long time, so it was odd to see that he was so easy to get along with. But I guess that it was Louis who brought him into our little group, which makes sense. Louis is a great judge in character. Even though he is usually talkative, Kendall didn't really seem to be paying attention to what they were saying, sitting there with a lost look in his eye.

I wonder if that's what I looked like earlier.

"Hey, Eleanor, I need your help," Cory called, gesturing to the computer. "It seems like I can't get much information on Johannah Deakin, so do you know anything that we don't know?"

I shrugged, taking a seat beside him. "I only know what Louis wanted me to know; he was always very secretive about his past, and now it seems as though he had a good reason."

"Was Johannah the same way?"

"I only met her once," I admitted. "She was a lot like Louis, but she had black hair instead of brown. They had the same mannerisms, which I thought was hilarious. But there was a tension between them; like there was an elephant in the room that no one really wanted to talk about."

"So the relationship between Louis and his mother was strained?" Cory asked, leaning forward onto his forearms. "Do you have any idea why it was?"

"I did say that I only met her once, you know."

Cory sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I just want to find these guys."

My eyebrows rose in shock when Cory spoke in plural. "So you're telling me that Nick hasn't been working alone?"

He laughed, and looked at me like I just said something stupid. "C'mon, Eleanor, you're telling me that only one guy can keep Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, the two most relentless people on the planet, captive for an entire month?"

I laughed and shook my head in disbelief. I never knew that my brother actually had a brain, nevertheless having the ability to prove me wrong. "You're right."

He looked smugly at his computer screen, and began typing something into a search engine, before pausing and turning back towards me. "So, tell me, how bad was it to say that I was right?"

I glared at him, taking a second to see if he would wither underneath my stare. If anything, the asshat's smile only got bigger. "It was like putting acid in my mouth and using it for mouthwash, you little bitch."

He laughed and turned back to his computer, a twinkle in his eye. But not before long the twinkle was replaced with doubt and worry. "Well, I can't find anything about Louis and Johannah’s relationship."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Even with the press after the first kidnapping?"

He nodded, his lips pursed together in thought. "It seems that Louis was kept out of the spotlight- Johannah sure seems to be pretty protective."

I nodded. "Yeah, Louis doesn't get to go anywhere with his mom. He spends a lot of time alone in that ginormous house of his."

"Seems lonely."

I nodded, and we slipped into an awkward silence, which Cory smartly broke before I could fall back into my thoughts.

"Did Louis ever mention having an older sister before?" Cory asked, turning back toward me. "I mean, since you know him best, and all."

I rested my elbows on the table and held my head in my hands. "I had no idea that Louis had been kidnapped ten years ago, let alone had an older sister before all of it. So, I think that it would be cool if you looked her up."

Cory rolled his eyes before starting to type again, and going through random databases, looking for anything on Louis's sister. He moved his lips as he read over the information on the screen in front of him, which I had no idea that he did when he read.

Hell, I didn't even know that he could read.

"Holy shit," Cory spoke, his eyes going wide.

"What?"

"Holy fucking shit!"

I smacked the back of his head, causing him to glare at me, but only for a second, before turning back to the computer and typing frantically. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled over and over again. "This has got to be some sort of joke."

"What the hell, Cory?" I asked, my voice carrying throughout the room. I vaguely noticed that everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the super-geek typing at the computer and I, who probably looked pretty pissed off.

"I know what connection Nick had to Louis," Cory said. "And I think I know why Felicité was going to run away."

"What is it?" Briana asked, walking over to stand behind Cory's chair.

"Well, apparently Felicité Tomlinson had a blog, where she mentioned the name "Nick" and the word "friend" in the same sentence multiple times. Also, later on in the blog she started to talk about how her mother was being too overprotective, and get this: she was talking about how her friend was getting into something big and she didn't want to be a part of it."

I held up my hand, and Cory looked at me mockingly, as a teacher would a student. "Yes, Eleanor?"

"Question, why would Felicité write all of this stuff on a blog for everyone to see? I mean, with Johannah for a mother press would be all over the kid, and I know for a fact that he couldn't have been that stupid." When they all looked at me weirdly, I explained, "I mean, he does have Johannah for a mother."

Everyone nodded in agreement and turned to Cory expectantly. "I found the blog searching for what websites Felicité Tomlinson had visited most frequently. The blog was anonymous, but every post was signed F.T.; I'd like to take the jump and assume that it was Felicité who was posting."

"Do we know what was so big that Felicité tried to get away from?" Liam asked, his voice sounding a little daunting coming from the shadows. "If we find out what she was running from, it will probably become a motive for Nick."

Liam has kept to himself, so it was odd to hear his voice. He has kept to himself even more so now that Harry is missing, which is kind of troubling.

Niall spoke up, "All Mitch and I found was that George Grimshaw, Nick's father, worked for Desmond. It's a possible connection to Harry, but we can't be too sure. Anyways, apparently Mr. Grimshaw died in a boat accident on the job… that could be possible motive for Nick to take Harry."

I nodded in agreement, as pieces of the puzzle starting to come together for me. "And if Felicité found out about what her friend was going to do, she might have tried to stop it- only to be captured herself."

Cory smiled, and looked at the group. "I guess we got our motive."

"Yeah, and now I think that Mitch and Niall can continue to research Nick's family, while we turn in. I mean, beside Cory, who really just got lucky, no one is really that great with computers like they are." I turned to Niall and Mitch, smiling at their flushed faces. "If that's okay with you, of course."

Surprisingly, Niall was the one who spoke up. "Yeah, we can go finish up at my place. My families' study is kind of a technological masterpiece."

"Of course it is," Mitch mumbled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess we can keep searching and see what we find."

Mitch and Niall seemed to be getting along with each other sweetly enough. Even a blind man would be able to see that Mitch and Harry were really close, so it's nice to see that Niall is keeping him busy with all of the research that I know he loves.

"Great," I said, smiling. "So it's settled then? We can meet up before school and talk to Brunner about what we found."

Kendall's green eyes were bright with excitement. "When should we meet up?"

"We should get there an hour before school, you know, just in case," Briana suggested.

"Seriously? That early? I can barely get up to get to first hour!" Zayn complained, his elfish face becoming overwhelmed with a child-like annoyance.

Briana whacked him upside the head, and narrowed his eyes at him. "We are meeting Brunner an hour before school starts, and you will be there, got it?"

Zayn looked at her with wide eyes, and I swore I saw him gulp. "Got it."

Cory laughed, and patted Zayn's back in a mocking gesture. "Oh boy, Zayn. Looks like someone needs to clean up because I swear I just saw you pee yourself."

Zayn grumbled to himself while Kendall gave Briana a high-five. It was starting to feel like we were all meshing well together, like a team should. I took a second to smell the roses and studied the people in the room around me. Cory, Briana, and Zayn seemed to be the troublesome threesome, constantly bickering with each other only like three friends should.

Liam seems to keep to himself, even more so now that Harry is missing, which is kind of troubling. We have a lot in common, and I know that if I didn't have Cory I would probably be where he is now. Lurking in the shadows, keeping to myself… it doesn't seem like a great way to live. But for him, maybe it's his only choice.

"Well, I hate to kick people out, but it is getting pretty late and I need to get my beauty sleep," Briana joked.

"Yeah, we should probably head out, right Eleanor?" Cory asked, obviously trying to make a good impression on Briana. I just rolled my eyes at his antics.

"You bet, Cory. Thanks for having us over, Briana."

We all said our goodbyes, and Cory and I started to make our way back home. There was a silence between us that wasn't troubling, but uncomfortable. We knew that we were getting closer to finding Louis and Harry, but for some reason it didn't feel like it was enough.

It will probably never feel like it's enough.

"You okay, Eleanor?" Cory asked, breaking the silence. "You were pretty quiet for a while back at Briana's house."

"I'm okay. I was just thinking about how far we've all come, that's all."

He hummed a bit in response, and put his hands in his pockets. "You know you don't have to distance yourself, right? That we're all in this together?"

I looked up at him with a small smile. "Yeah, of course I do, Cory. But sometimes there are things that you just have to figure out for yourself."

He nodded again, keeping his gaze straight forward. "I've been thinking about what you told me earlier today, Eleanor."

"About how I tried to kill myself?"

I heard a sharp intake of breath, and I knew I hit it right on the bull's-eye. "Yeah, that."

"It happened a while ago, Cory. It's nothing that you need to worry about."

"But why? Why would you do it, Eleanor? What made you want to do it?"

"I thought I already told you what happened, Cory. It was two years ago, and you know why."

"So it was because of me?"

I bit back a gasp at the sound of his voice. It wasn't accusing as it had been earlier today, but instead it was guilty and innocent. "It wasn't you, Cory… it was just the thought that what we had lost, what our relationship had turned into. That's what sent me over the edge. It wasn't you- it was never you."

"Well, I'm never letting go of our sibling-ness ever again. Not for a girl, not for a friend… not for anything. Eleanor, you're all I have, and I'm not letting that go."

I smiled, looking straight ahead. "Good."

His arm wrapped around my shoulders and it stayed there for the rest of the walk back to our apartment, where we took care of our mother and went to sleep, safe in our beds. But I couldn't get rid of this sickening feeling in the back of my stomach.

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next morning, Cory and I were too tired to do much but get ready and go to school. We had to get up an hour earlier than normal to have a meeting with Chiron Brunner, the man behind the operation that we were a part of.

To be honest, I think highly of him, and I knew that Louis did too. It's nice to know we have someone like him helping us, no matter how secretive he may be. Cory doesn't exactly agree with me, but that's because he's too proud to admit that it's okay not to know everything.

We walked into the school like zombies, as no makeup was too good to cover up the dark circles underneath my eyes from the minimal amount of sleep I had gotten the night before.

"That's three people, Cory. Three teachers looked at us like we were straight out of Star Trek or something."

He laughed quietly, softly elbowing my side. "Cut it out, Eleanor, I'm sure they're just very surprised to see you so early in the morning. God knows that they hardly see you in first hour."

"And it's not the same for you because…"

"Because I'm a great student."

I slapped the back of his head before speed walking to get ahead of him, wanting to drop that subject before it even started. "Hurry up, fucktard! We're going to be late!"

I heard him grumble and pick up the pace from behind me. "You just don't want to talk about anything that's not you, huh?"

I turned to face him and started to walk backwards. "You caught me, asshat, congratulations. Now, we seriously need to get to Brunner's classroom."

It took one glance at the time on his phone to get him to walk faster. Apparently Mr. Brunner doesn't exactly appreciate tardiness, even at uncoordinated events.

We got to his classroom in record time, and saw that we were the last ones there, besides Kendall.

"Nice for you to join us, Mister and Miss Calder. Your friends here were telling me about how you found out that Harry Styles was at the scene of the first kidnapping, and how you believe that the target was always Harry."

"Well, that pretty much sums everything up," I agreed, plopping myself onto a desktop. "What do you think, Sir?"

I saw that Cory chose to sit next to Briana, before Brunner replied, "Please, Eleanor, don't call me Sir. It makes me feel like I'm running some sort of illegal act."

Zayn laughed, "Oh, I wasn't aware that this was supposed to be totally legal."

Mr. Brunner's eyes crinkled in amusement when he looked at Zayn. "Mr. Malik, I can assure you that this is completely legal. It's simply an act of private investigation."

"Which happens to involve hacking into government systems," Briana pointed out.

"And stealing evidence from the police," Cory added.

I shrugged, smiling a bit. "I don't see what's wrong with that."

He threw me an annoyed look. "That's just because you happen to be a kleptomaniac."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow, took you that long?"

Cory looked like he was about to say something else before Brunner cut him off, "Enough bickering you two. Anyways, it seems like you have found something that even the police force hasn't been able to. Good job."

I felt a smug smile across my face. "Now we just have to learn more about Nick's family."

Brunner nodded in agreement. "I will check in with my contact in the police department to see if they have any new developments as to where they are being held captive."

I looked at the clock. We still had thirty minutes until class started. I could probably take a solid nap in that time. "So we can check in after school to see what the police have?" I voiced, looking at everyone for agreement.

"I'll check in with Kendall, too. She's in my first hour- I bet she just forgot to come," Briana said, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion. Kendall never really forgets anything as much as we were concerned.

Mr. Brunner looked at us with concern at the new information. "Miss Jenner was supposed to be here?"

"Yeah," Cory said. "And it's not really like her to forget things."

"Do any of you happen to have her cell phone number? I believe it would be wise to check in now and see if she is alright."

"Yeah, she gave it to me yesterday," Briana said, taking her phone out from her purse. "Just wait a second."

We all waited in silence as Briana both called and texted Kendall multiple times. We all knew that Kendall was practically connected to her phone all the time, I mean, we've never seen her without it, so a feeling of dread started to fill my bones.

"She didn't answer," Briana's voice wavered as she looked down at her phone in shock. "Something is wrong."

Mr. Brunner started to furiously type on his laptop computer and then stopped, and a grave look came onto his face.

"Unfortunately it seems as though there has been an Amber Alert placed for Miss Jenner," he spoke. "He has been kidnapped."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet y'all weren't expecting Harry to be the target, not Louis! Plot twist, to say the least. Chapter 6 is probably one of my favorite chapters, honestly. There's a mix of emotion from everyone, but prep yourself, it's sad.  
> That's all I'm gonna say before I spoil everything;)  
> See y'all Friday:)


	6. i'm sorry, harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: Mentions of rape.  
> Sorry in advance!  
> Enjoy:)

-Louis POV-

I woke to being tied up in a chair, again, and in a white room. Everything in the room was white, including the chair and the straps that bound me to it. My skin was starting to become pale; probably from both the lack of sun and the blood loss. The white around me made that fact a lot more obvious.

My hair and clothes were soaked with water and my chest felt like it was on fire with each breath I took. I knew that the burning in my lungs could be from inhaling water, so I figured that I must have almost drowned recently.

Just another day for me, though.

My thoughts wandered to Styles, and what he might be going through right now. If I almost drowned, I don't even want to think about what could have possibly happened to him. What if Nick made him kill someone again? I don't know if he could take something like that again.

Hell, I don't know if I can take this anymore.

I focused myself, trying to figure out what happened before I took an unsuspected swim. My memory was patchy, and I remembered little things, like some sort of screaming for help, some sort of labyrinth, and Styles.

When I thought of Styles, all I could think of was seeing him run into a room with something in his hand. It was all very blurry, as if my vision was muffled for some reason.

"Ah, Louis! You're awake!"

My blood ran cold at the sound of Nick's voice come from behind me. A chill ran throughout my body, causing me to shiver- only this time it wasn't from the wet clothes I wore, it was from the sheer terror of what that voice meant.

Nick was here.

"You know, I was surprised that you woke up so quickly. I pegged you to be out for another few hours." He moved from behind me to where I could see him, a swagger to his step that made his arrogance come to light. His hair was more unruly than usual and his eyes looked tired, as if he had just woken up.

I glared at him, and focused on trying to control the tremors that wracked through my body. I wasn't going to show any sign of weakness in front of this man. Not ever again.

"Not going to talk?" He asked, a small smile coming across his face. "Well then, I guess I will do all of the talking for us both, hmm?"

I continued to focus on hiding my pain, but with every breath I took it felt as if someone was stabbing my chest. That couldn't be normal. Worry for both myself and Styles overtook me as I lost composure and my glare faltered.

"Well, you must know that your dear friend, Mr. Styles, is worried sick about you. You gave him quite a scare, young man. I did tell you to call for help, you know."

My eyes widened as I started to put some pieces together, and new memories started to fill up the gaps. Nick laughed as he saw how my face started to transform into one of horror. I couldn't believe what he did to me… I have never been that close to death before, and I had to hide the tears that threatened to spill.

"You see, Louis, as I told you before, you mean nothing to me. You're a pawn for my master plan. Yes, it is nice to have you alive, but it wouldn't be detrimental if something were to happen to you."

A tear fell from my eye, only to be followed by countless others.

"Harry Styles is my true prize. He always has been. Your brother got in my way, and I took you to make sure he wouldn't do anything funny. But, as we both know, it didn't really matter in the end, anyway."

"W-Where is he?" I rasped, my voice sounding worse than I felt. "Where's Styles?"

Nick laughed, as he slowly walked forward to lightly caress my cheek. I leaned away from his touch and saw anger flash in his eyes as a result. "Oh, Lou, in the face of the danger and all you can think of is lover boy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

"Fuck you, Nick."

His hand lightly pinched my cheek before he backed away to lean against the wall. "You don't mean that, Lou. Besides, I think you forget who holds the power here."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at him with curiosity. "Power? So this is about power?"

Nick's eyes twinkled in delight and he clapped his hands together. "I knew you were smart! I thought it would take you longer, yes, but I knew you would figure it out!"

"This isn't about revenge at all, is it Nick?"

His smile of delight suddenly turned evil, and even in this bright room there were shadows clouding his face. "Of course not. I hated my father and mother. My father was a cheap bastard who worked for Desmond, and got himself killed. My mother was a low-life whore who cheated on my father every other week. They meant nothing to me."

My breath caught in my throat as I thought of the once seemingly happy couple that I had grown up knowing. George Grimshaw was a great man, or so I thought, and Nick's mother… I can still remember the smell of the chocolate chip cookies she would make every Fourth of July.

"You see, all I want is power. And by breaking Desmond, I will be able to take over his business and then create an economic empire."

"Why Desmond though? Because he raped your mother? Or maybe because he killed your father? Why him?"

"I did it because I know that he is weak, and that he would be the easiest to manipulate. You see, as I had told you before, Harry Styles is the light of Desmond's life. Even a blind fool could tell you that."

"So why involve me? Why would you take me?" My voice cracked, and soon turned to a whisper. "What made you decide to ruin my life?"

Nick laughed, a small smile overtaking his face, and for a small time I saw the Nick that I used to know. My sister’s friend… my friend. "Louis, your sister and I were always close, you know?"

My glare returned as I remembered what he did to my brother. "Yeah, but then you killed her."

"She was too close."

"Too close to what, Nick? She was your friend! Your best fucking friend! How could you have put a bullet through her skull? How could you have tortured her the way that you did and still call her your friend?"

Tears were streaming down my face and my chest heaved with sobs. The pain from before had been replaced by the pain of what I had lost. I lost everything because of the man standing in front of me. And I know I will lose my life to him, too.

Nick's eyes lit up in anger, and he took two furious steps away from the wall. "Don't you see? Your sister betrayed me. She tried to turn me in! After everything I had been through, your sister betrayed me and stopped me from achieving my goal. But in the end, it seems that she didn't really matter, did she? Her sacrifice was for nothing."

"No."

"What do you mean, no? She's dead. Dead! And there is no way that you're getting out of here alive, sweetheart. I made that mistake once already, and I am certainly not going to make it again."

I shook my head furiously, refusing to accept it. My sister’s sacrifice was not going to be in vain. She sacrificed herself to save me, so I am going to make sure that something good comes out of it. "You're wrong, Nick. I am going to get out of here, and I am going to stop you. I'm going to finish what my sister started."

He busted out into a mad laughter, and his eyes never looked more mentally delusional. "You sound like you are coming straight from a movie. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but this isn't a movie. I own you- for real. And you are going to die. For real."

I laughed a bit, ignoring the pain in my chest, and continued to shake my head. I wasn't going to let this guy do what he wants. Not after he killed my sister. I was going to fight for what my sister believed in- for what I believed in. Fizzy was going to be brought to justice, one way or another.

"Why are you laughing? You do realize I can snap your neck like a twig if I wanted to? You do realize I can order one of my men to come in here and rape you until you're nothing but a hollow shell? Louis, you're fucking with the wrong man."

I shook my head again, and gave him a smug smile. "But you can't kill me yet, right? You're saving that for something big. I know you, Nick, like the back of my hand, and killing me right here- right now, that's not something you would do."

Nick's face was unreadable as he leaned back against the wall and slowly crossed his arms, not once taking his eyes off of mine. A smile slowly crossed his face and his eyes twinkled with happiness. "I'm glad I'm rubbing off on you, dearie. You are right, I wouldn't kill you now. I'm going to save that for later, and then I'm going to break your dear friend, Harry Styles."

My breath caught in my throat at the sincerity in his words.

"And if you ever think about telling him about this discussion, I will hunt down everyone who means something to you and I will execute them in front of you. Am I clear?"

My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but nod. I didn't want to think about what would happen if Nick got his hands on any of my friends.

"Good. Now, I'm going to allow you and Mr. Styles to become reunited once again. And I know you have been making a plan to escape, Lou. That's how it works: you know me- I know you. And you are the type to make a plan."

I looked down at the ground, trying to think my way through this. He knows we have a plan… but he doesn't know what that plan might entail. If we can make a big enough distraction…

"Don't bother trying to outsmart me, Louis. I know you stole that radio, and I know that you plan to use it to help you escape."

I shook my head in disbelief. What an asshole.

"So after you reunite with Mr. Styles, you will try to escape. You will know that it will be a failure, and that you will end up having to face my next experiment- but your Styles will not. It will be the perfect setup for the next phase in experimentation."

I glared at him, trying to hold onto the dignity that I have left. "And why would I ever help you?"

Nick plastered on a fake smile, making a shiver run down my spine. "Oh, Lou. I thought I told you! If you don't, I will kill your friends."

And with that, my entire world went black.

-Harry POV-

It felt like hours until they brought Tomlinson back. When I woke up, it took a while to get out of the haze from the sedatives, but when I realized that I was alone in the cell, it felt as if my heart stopped.

I didn't know whether or not he was alive, which was probably the worst thing. The last thing I remembered was trying to save him from drowning. I wasn't ready to let go of him, and for some reason I knew that he wasn't ready to let go of me either. I just hope that was enough.

I sat down where we had been when he told me about his brother, and where I felt that we finally became friends. It felt colder than it had then, and I realized that I was missing him more than I thought I would miss anyone.

It has been eye opening, for sure. Tomlinson means a lot to me, but what exactly I feel for him is a bit blurry. I love Kendall, I have always loved Kendall, and I always will. But then why do I always keep going back to Tomlinson? Why do my thoughts keep going back to him?

I never told anyone about my family, and what I really feel about my father. I couldn't help but feel vulnerable when I tried to reach out, so I never did. But Tomlinson made it seem so easy… he made it seem so normal when I talked to him, like really talked. I've never really talked to anyone before him.

And for some reason I don't want it to stop.

He is like a drug to my thoughts. I keep on thinking about him even when I know I shouldn't. All thoughts about myself and my own safety go out the window when it comes to him, and it scares me. That's something that has never happened before.

I need him. I know that now. But he just needs to be okay so I can tell him that in person.

And after what seemed like days of prayers, bargaining, and nightmares, the door finally opened. Light flooded into the cell, causing me to squint as I tried to see what was going on. There were two burly looking shadows that were carrying a limp figure and threw it into the room.

Tomlinson.

The door closed, and I choked on a sob when I saw him lying there, perfectly still. Questions flooded my mind, and all I could think about was the last time that this happened. I couldn't help but blame myself. Why couldn't you have been faster? He wouldn't be lying there if you weren't so slow to get the key.

I shook myself from those thoughts and stumbled over to the limp figure. Through my drunken haze I could recognize his beautiful, brown hair that was a halo framing his face, and his lips that were slightly parted. Slightly I could see the rise and fall of his chest. He was alive.

Relief flooded my system and I caressed his cheek gently with my hand, crying like a little girl. He was alive… he made it. This wasn't going to be the end for us. We were going to get out of here.

I began to feel a lot more optimistic than I had been in the past, and drunkenly hauled him up by his shoulders to bring him to the side of the cell. He was cold, so I decided that body heat would help, and lifted him up against my chest, and took a deep breath into his hair.

His brown hair smelled softly like strawberries, as if it had been permanently stained with the scent after years of using one kind of shampoo.

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. We're friends, so this is okay. I leaned my head back onto the wall, sighing in contentment. But the peace was broken when I felt him move in my arms, and I felt his whole body tense up.

"Uh, Styles?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

I felt a wave a heat flash on my cheeks. "I- uh, you were cold when they brought you in," I explained, letting him out of my grasp. "I just thought, you know, body heat could help."

He laughed a bit, sounding like music to my ears. "It's okay, Styles, I was just messing with you."

I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. Tomlinson slid to the side so that he was sitting next to me, and I really got a look at him without all of the haze from the sedation jumbling up my thoughts. His clothes were rumpled and dirty, he had little bruises on his wrists that looked to be from restraints, and the bottom of his pants were ripped, going up to his calf muscle.

Needless to say he looked like shit.

"You going to stop staring at me?" He asked, his blue eyes dancing with humor. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone." I looked at his opened mouth, and he blushed when he realized what he just said. "Oh my God, I just sounded like you! Shit, this cannot be happening… your stupidity has rubbed off on me!"

I just nodded and cracked a small smile. "Don’t shit yourself. Looks like it."

We sat in silence, staring at the same black wall ahead of us, neither one of us knowing what to say. There was something that we were keeping from each other, and after spending the past month in the same enclosed space together- we were able to tell.

"What's wrong?" Tomlinson asked, wringing his hands together. "You haven't been acting the same. I mean, I feel like I need to start being the comic relief, Styles. And you know that's your forte."

I just nodded and stared forward, not trusting myself to look at him again. I would just be reminded at how close I was to losing him- I was close to losing my friend.

"Styles, I know that we might not have always been that close in the past, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right? Especially now."

His voice drifted off into silence, and everything seemed to be tense as he was waiting for my answer.

"I thought you were dead." I heard his breath catch, and closing my eyes, I continued, "I thought you were dead, and I didn't know what to do with myself, Tomlinson. I thought that I lost one of my best friends."

I felt him put his hand on mine. "Styles, you need to know something," he started. I looked at him in confusion, my eyes widening when I saw that his eyes were filled with tears. "No matter what happens to me, I need to know that you will keep trying to get out of here… I need to know that you won't give up."

I shook my head, and stopped when I saw the tears start to fall. "Tomlinson-"

"Harry… just listen to me." My breath caught at the sound of my name. "I need you to promise me that you will never give up, even if something happens to me."

My eyebrows scrunched together, and my brain started to dart all over the place. "Louis, is something going to happen to you? Why are you making me do this, I mean, you know I can't do this without you… I need you, Louis."

He smiled, but it was quickly gone and replaced with worry. "Just please, if something happens, and I'm not saying it's going to, but if something happens, I need to know that you will be alright. Just promise me that, Harry."

I searched his eyes, trying to figure out what his true intentions were. But I couldn't see anything but the echo of the promise. "I promise, Louis."

He nodded, a small smile gracing his lips, and he leaned his head on my shoulder with a sigh. "Thanks, Styles."

"What happened to using our first names?"

He chuckled, leaning in closer to me. "That's just a one-time thing, Styles."

"Okay, Tomlinson."

-Louis POV-

Styles and I seemed to be getting along a lot better now after my near-drowning. I've tried to get him to talk about the labyrinth and what happened with the screaming, but Styles delicately evaded the question. But it seems as though my constant pestering has gotten him to speak.

"Look, after what happened… I don't really want to think about it, okay?"

Styles's green eyes were wild and daring me to continue. I remembered the last time I saw them like that- it was when he figured out I had been lying to him. If he only knew…

"Styles, this isn't something that you can just shrug off, okay? Trust me, I know. Just trust me, Styles. It's all going to be okay."

He started to pace, holding a hand to his head as if he was trying to keep his emotions from coming out. I sighed to myself, having already seeing this kind of reaction before, and prepared myself for what was going to happen next.

Styles suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face me, his eyes dark and full of fury. My jaw clenched and my hands balled up into fists, ready to take the verbal abuse that was sure to happen next.

"How do you know? Huh? How do you know what I have gone through? Last time you were here, you had your sister to protect you! But who do I have? How are we supposed to get out of here alive when Nick has been torturing us half to death? I mean, God, I'm out of breath from walking! Face it, Tomlinson, we're sitting ducks, and you know it!" He slumped back against the wall, breathing hard. "How can you think that everything is going to be okay? Because I know for sure that it's not, and it never will be!"

His face was filled with so much anger and pain it made my heart clench. I relaxed myself and calmly stood up and walked over to him. He had his head in his hands, and I knew from the shaking of his shoulders that he was crying.

He had reached his breaking point, and to be honest, I couldn't blame him. Even Fiz shed tears after going through the labyrinth. I couldn't expect Styles to be any different.

"You want to know the truth, Styles?" I asked quietly. "I'm scared shitless. I've never been more terrified in my life, and I don't know whether or not we are going to get out of here, let alone be okay. But what I do know is that we need to have hope. Because if we don't have hope, what do we have?"

All of the sudden I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and envelope me in a hug. It took me a second to get over the shock that Styles was actually hugging me, but I returned the favor. I felt him bury his face in my shoulder, and I could feel the wetness from his tears on my shirt.

"We need to do this together, Styles. It can't just be one of us; we need to get through it together."

I felt him nod against my shoulder, and I unconsciously put a hand to the back of his head, and strung my fingers through his hair. It was a matted mess, but to me it couldn't have been more beautiful.

I felt his head pull away from my shoulder enough to look at me, but I left my hand there, feeling safe with the contact. "He got those recordings somehow, Tomlinson. He got them to scream and beg for mercy somehow. He hurt them… he hurt the people that I care about."

Tears were streaming from his green eyes, and a look of pain clouded over his eyes that made my heart drop to my stomach.

"We just need to have hope, Styles. We need to have hope that they're okay."

He nodded, and put his head back on my shoulder.

_"I will hunt down everyone who means something to you and I will execute them in front of you."_

My eyes widened in shock, and I felt my knees start to give out. I released myself from Styles and backed away, hitting the other end of the cell in shock. Pain radiated through my body at the hit, but I was already too numb to feel it. 

"Tomlinson? Tomlinson, are you okay?" 

__"I will kill your friends."_ _

__

__

I looked at Styles, whose face was contorted in confusion, and shook my head. 

"No." 

_"You're just a pawn for my master plan."_

I slowly sank to the floor, my unseeing eyes staring straight ahead in horror. I could tell that Styles had made a move toward me, but I held a hand out to stop him. 

"Just-Just stay away from me." 

_"I own you."_

“Tomlinson-" 

_"You will do as I say."_

I suddenly wasn't in the cell with Styles anymore. I was back in the white room, and I was cold again. I felt the restraints at my hands and feet, and I felt the pain in my chest. 

I nodded. 

"Tomlinson, c'mon, snap out of it!" 

_"You will try to escape. It will be a failure. You will have to face my next experiment, but your Styles will not."_

"Styles…" 

"Tomlinson, you okay?" 

The world around me suddenly went back to the cell, and I was back with Styles again, who was now kneeling in front of me with a worried look on his face. "You blacked out for a second there." 

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I felt the air start to heat me back up. I lifted my arms a few inches and moved my feet to make sure the restraints were gone. They were. 

"You okay?" 

I nodded, continuing to make sure that this wasn't another kind of hallucination. "I'm fine. More than fine, actually," I lied. I was able to control the shakiness in my voice, and let a fake smile grace my lips. 

Styles obviously bought it, and he smiled back at me. "More than fine, huh?" 

I cleared my head and playfully glared at him. "Yeah, got a problem with that?" 

“Well as a very wise boy once told me, what is wrong with you? Don't you see that we could die?" 

I coughed to hide a smile. "And as a very stupid frog face once told me, we could die, yeah, but we will get out of here." 

_Styles laughed, "I don't think I ever said that, Tomlinson. You're just making things up, now."_

I shook my head, and leaned back against the wall in thought. I knew that we had to make a move to get out of the cell or Nick would probably do something stupid, which is never good. But I needed to make sure that the move we made wasn't going to be completely in vain. Styles needed to get out of this somehow, and I wasn't going to ruin his chances. 

I noticed that Styles had settled himself next to me, his hand dangerously close to mine. I chose to ignore that small piece, and brought my head back from the clouds. "We need to get out of here, you know." 

Styles turned his head toward me, a lazy look in his eye. "I know." 

"How?" 

"You tell me, Tomlinson." 

"Should we do the plan that we initially had?" I asked, biting my lip in anticipation. His eyes drifted from my eyes to my lips, and I felt my entire body tense. I could feel his desire, and hell, I could feel mine… but this couldn't happen. It wasn't a part of the plan. 

But I couldn't help it. 

"Yeah," he breathed. His eyes were clouded over with some sort of emotion that I couldn't place. It had been there since I woke up from my near-drowning, and it has been confusing me ever since. And these feelings that I had for him were obviously misplaced. 

But his eyes were just so green. 

He started to lean in, and his eyes closed. I felt myself start to lean in as well, and it felt as if the entire world was slowing down around us. My eyelids fluttered with anticipation and my heart was beating out of its chest… it felt right. 

But, almost mockingly, his lips never met mine. His head came crashing onto my shoulder, and my eyes bugged open. "I'm sorry, Tomlinson." 

I took a deep breath to scrape what dignity I had left. "It's fine, Styles. I get it." I cursed myself for letting my voice give away my emotions. 

He shot up from his position and looked at me frantically. "Oh, no Tomlinson, it's not like that… uhm, I mean, I'm sure you're great and all but I still kind of have a thing for Kendall… and I don't think it would be right to, you know-" 

"Thanks, Styles," I cut him off with a smile. "We shouldn't do that, Kendall or no Kendall." 

His eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?" 

I laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Styles, we just started being friends, and to be honest, that's all I think we can handle right now." 

A look flashed across his face for a split second before it disappeared. I didn't really think anything of it when it was replaced with a look of relief. "You're right. We need to focus on getting out of here." 

I leaned back against the wall and wiped a hand across my face. Reality started to pour back onto me like Niagara Falls as I started to remember what exactly I was supposed to do. I got up, ignoring the annoyance of my muscles and started to search for the radio. 

"The radio is where you left it, Tomlinson." I turned back to Styles, who was looking at me in amusement. "I know better than to move your stuff, you know." 

I turned my back to him so he couldn't see my amusement and crouched to take the radio from the little hole in the wall I had previously placed it in. I tensed up when the radio went off, and I heard Nick's voice. He was telling someone to grab something from somewhere, and all I could hear was what he had told me in the white room. 

_"So after you reunite with Mr. Styles, you will try to escape. You will know that it will be a failure, and that you will end up having to face my next experiment- but your Styles will not. It will be the perfect setup for the next phase in experimentation."_

"Hey Tomlinson, you okay?" 

I shot up from my position against the wall and turned toward him. His eyes were dark with worry and he had already started to walk toward me, his hand out in a surrendering gesture. 

I plastered a smile, encouraging him to believe that I was fine. "Just thinking about the plan, Styles." 

He nodded, his eyes now bright with excitement. "I trust you, Tomlinson. I know we're going to get out of here." 

I felt my smile falter a bit, but I looked down at the radio to hide it. "Thanks, Styles. That means a lot." 

I really wish he wasn't making this so hard. 

I relayed the plan to Styles, reminding him of what he needs to do and when he needs to do it. Every word felt like a punch in the gut and every time he nodded with the courageous look in his eye, it felt like someone was ripping my heart out. 

I felt like a coward doing this, but I knew that I needed to save my friends, even if it meant betraying Harry Styles. 

Harry Styles, the guy who tortured me throughout high school, who made me feel completely useless and lousy, who made my friends feel like crap, and who pretty much had the entire school fooled as to whom he really is. 

Harry Styles, who had me fooled as to whom he really is. He really is a beautiful, courageous, heartfelt, brave, loyal man who would do anything to help anyone he loves. He truly is one of the greatest people I know, and Kendall is lucky to have him wrapped around her finger. 

And I'll admit that I couldn't help but be jealous of him. Anyone who has a man like Styles wrapped around him finger like that is one strong man. 

Someone who I am not, and will never be. 

When the voices went silent on the radio, and the slight shadow that was once hovering the door was gone, Styles kicked the door open, and grabbed my arm, making a beeline toward the exit that I had mapped out for him. 

My job was to keep watch for people behind us, but I knew that there would be no one there. They were all busy waiting for us at the exit. 

When Styles and I reached the exit, I knew when he saw the men waiting for us. It was then that he pushed me back and yelled at me to run, but I couldn't feel my legs. Styles left me in the dust, and I watched hollowly as Nick's men tracked him down and threw him to the ground. 

I felt a hand roughly clap my shoulder and I didn't have to look up to see who it was. The smell of alcohol and cologne did that for me. "Great job, Lou. You sure had him fooled, didn't you?" 

"Go to hell, Nick," I choked. Tears were leaking from my eyes, and my heart clenched when I saw the look of utter betrayal in Styles's eye. 

Nick laughed as Styles was dragged toward me, his green eyes dark with anger. "You were with him all along, weren't you?" 

I shook my head madly, shrugging Nick's hand off my shoulder to plead to him. "I was never with him, Styles! You know me, you know that I would never do that to you!" 

Tears filled his eyes, and he thrashed against the men holding him back. "I trusted you, Tomlinson! I fucking trusted you!" 

I felt Nick's hand clench my shoulder… hard, like a reminder. _If you tell him, I will kill everyone you care about._ A sob was choked out from my throat. 

"I'm sorry." 

Nick nodded to his little friends holding Styles back when Styles just stared at me in shock, obviously not expecting me to say that. The person he knew would fight back, and I knew that he knew that. I had to throw him off somehow. 

“I hate you, Tomlinson! _I hope you rot in hell!"_

I sobbed openly after he was gone from the room, and my legs collapsed from under me. The ground was illuminated from light from the sun, taunting me. I knew that I would never again see the sky or the people I care about. 

I knew this was my death sentence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely one of my favorite chapters. The angst makes me feel different, in a good way.  
> Hope everyone's doing well and has a good weekend! I don't have school on Monday, so I'm going to a lake up north to go on a boat! It'll be very fun.  
> We're halfway through the book! How sad:( I love this book with all my heart, and I have another one in the works right now, so I might upload a new one once this one's done.  
> Thank you, and see y'all next week!


	7. the choice and the video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at updating on time y'all- my apologies!  
> Anyways, this chapter makes things more clear and you'll understand Harry's anger quite soon.  
> Enjoy!

-Harry POV-

I found myself in a room that was completely white, like nothing I had seen before. I could feel anger coming off of me in waves, as I was still seething from the betrayal. I couldn't believe that after everything we had been through… Louis chose Nick.

I knew he had been acting weird after he nearly drowned, but I never expected him to go and do something like this.

It felt as though someone had taken my heart out, thrown it on the ground, and stepped on it. I felt numb, but all I could see was red. My heart hurt. My mind was reeling. My eyes were watering. And my fists were clenching.

"I fucking hate you all! You hear me? I'm going to kill you shitheads!"

The door shot open and I wasn't surprised to see Nick walk out of it. I was surprised Tomlinson wasn't with him, but it probably wouldn't end well anyways.

"I don't believe you are in a proper position to make threats, Mr. Styles."

I glared at him, his stupid cocky-ass smirk driving me insane. "I don't give a shit about what you think, asshole."

He merely chuckled and leaned against the wall behind him. "The feelings are mutual, Harry. Completely mutual."

"Go to hell."

"I'm sure I will, given time."

The room lapsed into silence, and I felt immense pressure to say something. His stare was causing a tingle to go up my spine and a sensor to go off in the back of my head screaming danger. But I didn't really care. I wasn't very shocked to see that I didn't care about anything anymore.

Nick smiled for a split second, before taking a deep breath and launching himself from the wall. "You and I need to have a little talk. There's a reason why you are here, you know."

I let out an emotionless laugh. "Why, so Tomlinson would have a play toy? S'cuse me buddy, but I don't give a rat's ass about your reasons."

Nick laughed at me, his eyes holding a wicked gleam. "It was your family, Harry. Your father is a weak, spineless fool who never cared about anyone. No doubt why your mother must have left him. Anyways, your father did me wrong, and now I am going to take what he loves most."

"Let me guess- you kidnapped me to get to him? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, buddy, but I haven't talked to my father since I was, like, twelve."

Nick's eyes turned dark. "Don't take me for an idiot, Styles. I know that your father doesn't care about you in comparison to the way he cares about his money. And his business."

My eyes widened. "So this was all about some business deal? What the hell?"

"Your father raped my mother and killed my father. Sure, I hated them both, but it killed me to know that he was getting away with it. I lost everything, you know. I just want your father to feel the same way."

I gulped. "And what about Tomlinson?"

Nick's eyebrows shot up. "And what about him? He betrayed you, didn't he? He always seemed to be stuck in the crossfire, though. He sure did the wise thing in the end and joined me."

Anger flared up in my bones at his words. "Fuck you."

A finger came to his jaw, and he started to mock a thinking gesture. "Oh, and look at what I have here! Louis isn't the only person I have now, is he? Oh, no, no… I have someone that I think would rather hold an interest to you."

My eyes widened and I sunk back into the chair as a video started to play on the wall behind Nick. A girl with dark brown hair was being restrained in a chair with a gun pointed to her head. Her eyes were wide and a terrified look that didn't belong there was plastered on her face.

"No."

Nick laughed. "It looks like you have a choice to make, Mr. Styles. You either stay here with Louis, who is awaiting you back in your quarters, or you go and free your beloved Kendall. But may I point out, Mr. Styles, that this is a choice. I sure hope you do make the right one."

I looked up at Nick with wide but confident eyes. "There isn't a choice to make."

Nick clapped his hands, and the video stopped playing. "So you are making a decision?"

"Well, save Kendall or stay with the traitor, what do you think?"

Nick smiled deceivingly. "I don't know. I'm not one to make assumptions."

I glared at him, not exactly happy to have to voice what I want to do. As much as I hated Tomlinson for betraying me, there was something between us that I couldn't place. I still cared for him, but Kendall… well, she was Kendall.

"I choose Kendall."

Nick's smile turned evil. "Good."

It all went dark.

-Louis POV-

All I wanted to do was apologize to Styles. I had betrayed his trust and no one, no matter how bad they are, deserves that. Besides, I've come to learn that Harry Styles really isn't all that bad. Now I just need to tell him that.

I have been alone in the damned cell for hours. I didn't want to think about what Nick could be doing to Styles for that amount of time, and I just hoped that there was a really long discussion taking place.

Yeah, right.

I wanted to save him and my friends, but I don't know what was worse- having your best friend hate you, or having them care about you and possibly dead. I know it might sound selfish, but mentally having someone that you love hate you is degrading.

And I loved Styles. He might not love me the way that I love him, but I know that there has to be something there. I saw it in his eyes. I saw it the same way I saw the pain that I caused when I betrayed him.

I knew that when he came back, it would take a lot of work, but I knew that somehow I could gain his trust again. I knew that it was hard for him to open up to me, just as it took a lot for me to open up to him, but I believed that we would be able to do that with each other again.

He made me a better person, and I wasn't a big enough fool to let that go.

My mind started to wander to what could be happening to Styles during the time that we had been separated. I remember how Fizzy was forced to choose between two different people, and the memory made my heart clench.

_"So, Felicité. Who are you going to choose? Your girlfriend or your brother?" Nick's voice echoed throughout the room._

_Fizzy's hair was sweaty and matted against her forehead. Her eyes held a kind of pain that no one would be able to feel unless put in her situation. Having to decide who to kill: the one she loves, and the one she knew she needed to protect against all odds._

_"Why me, Nick? Why would you do this?" Her broken voice rasped, bringing tears to my eyes. Even as a child I knew when Fizzy was sad. But I had never seen her like this before._

_Nick's blue eyes turned dark with anger and he took two stalking steps forward, as a predator would stalk its prey._

_"You tried to stop me, Felicité. You made me choose what I valued most. And now it's your turn."_

_"But why would you make me choose between them? You love both my brother and Lexa! Nick, please, don't do this!"_

_Nick's chilling, hollow laughter filled the room. He walked toward me, running his hand through my hair for a second then turning to Fizzy in disgust. "You obviously have more to lose than I do, Tomlinson. Now, choose. Your brother, or the love of your life? Who dies?"_

_Fizzy started to shake her head, and her body seemed to shut down. She stopped trying to resist against the chains and free herself. It seemed as if she had given up._

_"Please, don't do this."_

_"I'm going to count down from ten, and if you don't answer my question by the time I hit one, I will blow both of their brains out."_

_Nick moved from his position in front of the monitor showing Lexa in the background, bound and gagged, to holding a gun and pointing it at me._

_"Fizzy!" I screamed in fear. Her eyes flew to mine desperately, but now I could see what she was doing. She was weighing her options._

_"Nine."_

_"Please."_

_"Eight."_

_Nick pulled the safety off the gun._

_"Seven."_

_"Nick! Don't do it!"_

_"Six."_

_I turned my head to look at Fizzy, who was looking between Nick and I in fear. "Stop!"_

_"Five."_

_Tears started to stream down Fizzy's face._

_"Four."_

_I closed my eyes._

_"Three."_

_"Alright! Alright! I choose to save my brother! Please, just don't shoot them!"_

_Nick looked at Fizzy, putting the safety back on the gun, and tossing it to the side. "Just as I had hoped."_

_The monitor shut off, and Fiz slumped back into her chair. "You didn't kill Lexa?"_

_Nick laughed, and leaned back against the wall. "Of course not."_

_Fizzy choked out a sob in relief, turning her gaze to the ceiling and mumbled a prayer of thanks. Everything was in slow motion when I realized that no one was going to be hurt, and the guns had been put away._

_"What made you change your mind?" Fizzy asked breathlessly._

_Nick's smile turned dark and he stalked forward to look at Fizzy straight in the eye. Fizzy shoulders stiffened but she didn't look away from the sudden pressure._

_"Now you know what you have to lose, Tomlinson. Your brother can be stripped from you in a mere second and I want to make sure that you know it."_

_Fizzy's eyes flashed towards mine, wild with fear. A lone tear ran down her cheek as a distant look crossed her face. After that moment, I knew that nothing would ever be the same._

My heart melted as I imagined Styles having to go through something like that. He had already been so much, and I didn't know if he could take being forced to choose between two people ever again. His loyalty is extremely chivalrous, but it is inherently dangerous as well.

But what if he did have to choose between two people? What would happen if he did? And who would Nick make him choose between?

I knew that Nick was aware of Styles's infatuation with Kendall Jenner, Styles's ex-girlfriend. I knew that she would be one of the people who Styles would have to choose between if Nick ever tried to make him do it again.

But the only question would be is who else? After talking with Styles, I knew that his birth mother had already been threatened, and it's not like Nick to threaten one person's life more than once. I believe he had admitted that it didn't have the same exhilaration as it did the first time.

I let my thoughts drift in and out of reality, trying to pass time when Styles wasn't present. All I could really think about was how I was going to make it up to him, but I didn't exactly have too much to offer in the present situation.

It wasn't like when I would screw up with one of my friends and I would just take them out to get some gourmet ice cream. This wasn't like that at all.

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of shoes clicking echoing throughout the hallway outside of my cell. My heart started to beat in anticipation of facing Styles again, and hoping that he was okay after being with Nick for that long of time.

The cell door creaked open and a light turned on, making me squint to let my pupils shrink from their previously dilated state.

Nick waltzed through the door, a petty look plastered on his face. His icy blue eyes looked as if they were pitying me, looking at my shrunken form on the floor.

"Hello, Louis. How have you liked the dark?"

I did my best to glare at him, but the light kept on getting in my way. "It's a lot better than you and your fucking face, Nick." 

A small smile played on Nick's face as he walked forward to stand in the middle of the cell. "You know, I always favored the dark. I found it to be extremely welcoming."

"Why am I not surprised?" I mumbled.

"Besides, I am here for a different reason than talking about how the dark is very complimenting to my nature. It seems that our young friend has left us."

My eyes widened and my heart dropped to my stomach. "You… you killed him?"

Nick's smile widened at my reaction, but after a second of contemplation a look of disgust crossed his face. "Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Harry Styles left the facility, and is not coming back."

"So you're holding him somewhere else then?"

Nick laughed, and shook his head. "No, no. That would be too much work for me. I simply let him leave the campus. Besides, it will be fun to get to have you all to myself?"

My eyebrows shot up. "So you just let him go?"

Nick laughed again, and looked at me as a parent would a child. "I would never just let someone leave, would I? Now, Lou, do you remember what I made your sister do before I killed her? It had something to do with you and a certain woman named Alexa."

Tears silently pooled in my eyes with understanding. "You made him choose?"

Nick's smile turned into a steely look, his eyes unforgiving. "Of course I did. And do you wish to know who I made him choose between?"

I shook my head, my frail body shrinking back into the wall at the realization of what he was saying. Anger boiled up inside of me as I tugged hard against the restraints, hoping somehow they had been removed and I could smash his face in. "No, no he would never do that." 

Nick's eyes shone with aggression and repressed anger. "But Lou, if he didn't choose someone else over you, why isn't he here?"

I looked at Nick with wide, tearful eyes, not willing to accept the obvious. I lunged forwards- Nick stepped back, an evil grin on his face. "No, you're lying. All you do is lie!"

"Oh please, Lou. You know that I'm not lying to you. You know that your dear Styles has left you… you're not good enough for him."

Tears fell from my eyes as an unimaginable numbness took over the rest of my body. "He wouldn't have done that."

Nick's eyes flashed. "But he did, didn't he? He left you all alone. Nothing is permanent for you, Lou. You will never have what you desire most, and that is what you must live with."

"I fucking hate you!"

"Is it that you hate me, or that you hate someone else? I believe your feelings are misplaced this time, Lou. I wasn't the one who left you to rot."

My tongue felt like sandpaper. I couldn't say anything if I wanted to. My mind was screaming at me to accept what Nick was saying, that Styles left me, but my heart wouldn't accept the break.

"You must be wondering who he had chosen."

I shook my head, not wanting to know who Styles thought was better than me, far more superior than my own life. But it was then that I remembered how much hatred Styles had for me the last time we saw each other. It was evident that Styles would have chosen a squirrel over me if he had the chance.

This was all Nick's fault.

"I'm going to tell you anyway. You see, while you and Styles were plotting your escape, I had a few errands to run myself. Harry's ex-girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, and someone I know to be your friend, went missing a week ago."

My breath caught in my throat. I knew Nick was evil, but I never thought he would stoop so low. She had nothing to do with any of this. It was between Nick and I, and Styles was even debatable.

It was obvious Nick was just after revenge now, no matter what he had said.

"Kendall is quite a feisty one. She gave you a run for your money, but I was quite disappointed with how fast it took me to get her to crack. You're still my champion, Lou. He has to have cared for you a little right? However, I gave Mr. Styles the choice on who he was to save, and he chose Kendall.” Nick pouted annoyingly. “An eye for an eye, I suppose. Must sting a little, right?"

I couldn't erase the pain in my chest that hearing Styles left me by choosing someone else. But I knew that I would have made the same choice in his shoes. He didn't know what had happened between Nick and I, and he had no idea of knowing that it wasn't my fault. 

I’d made him think that I left him for Nick. I deserve it, honestly. 

It wasn't my fault.

A fire started to brew in my belly, and a small smile played on my lips. Nick's eyes widened for a split second before returning back to a stony glare, and I knew that he had expected me to break down, and be broken.

Nick's expectant smirk had wilted into an ugly grimace after seeing that his plan hadn't worked on me. He obviously thought that I was a lot weaker than what I truly was. But I believed that I wouldn’t be leaving here. 

Styles had left me, and I should be fine with that. Right? He loves Kendall. Not me. Never in a million years, as he said. 

"Bold of you to assume Styles even fucking cares for me, Nick. He left me here alone, right? But now, at least I can focus on haunting you for the rest of your puny life. I will never leave you alone, and I’ll be known as the person who managed to make Nick Grimshaw lose his fucking shit. So please, kill me and I will make it my job to find you a spot in hell so you can rot for eternity. I'm not afraid to die, not after the hell you put me through, twice. ”

“Oh, you little shit!” Nick fumed. 

In some wicked way, I smiled. I had finally broken the man who had broken me in so many fucking ways. I started to think that what I had said was true; I will be known as the guy who managed to get into Nick’s head.

But my heart soared at the thought of being able to see my friends again, being able to see Styles again and apologizing to him properly for being an ass. But I wasn't stupid, I knew that I was going to have to get out of here fast, because after showing Nick that I wasn't going to break- he had no use for me.

I had faith in myself to get out of here. If I didn't get out of here, and fast, he was going to kill me… but not if I killed him first.

-Harry POV-

I woke up to the sound of beeping and small, fractured voices.

"When do you think he's going to wake up?"

"I don't know, Zayn. Just shut for a second, okay?"

"Yeah, shut up or I'll make you."

"Oh, someone's getting a little spicy today!"

"Zayn, shut up."

"Awe, Cory! It's your sister's fault, I swear!"

"Will you all just be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep, here!"

"Calm down. Hey, does anyone want tacos? I'm feeling some tacos!"

"If it means you leave, then yes."

"Ouch! Low blow, darling, low blow."

I distinctly heard the sound of someone hitting someone else. "Stop hitting on my sister!"

"Stop yelling, all of you! There's a patient next door who is complaining about the noise!" A raspy voice called out. 

There was silence for a few moments.

"You think she's gone?"

"Yeah, Niall. She's gone."

"Good, cause' I think her mole moved from the last time we saw her."

"Ewe."

"Yuck."

"That's fucking nasty."

Silence again.

"So, Kendall… how are you feeling after all of this?"

"You saw the video… you all know that he's laying here because of me."

"He also is safe because of you, you know that."

"But what about Louis?"

"He's strong… he can hold out long enough for someone to find him."

"It's already been two months, Mitch. You know that after that long that anyone could succumb to terrible things."

"I just hope you're wrong."

"Yeah, Louis is strong. We would all be dead if he wasn't."

The beeping noise started to pick up its pace, and everyone went silent as they listened to it.

"Harry, man? You awake?"

I tried to move my lips to make a noise, but I couldn't feel anything. Hell, it seemed as if I couldn't really concentrate on anything either.

"Harry, please wake up."

"Mitch, can you go get his mother and father from the café?"

"On it."

The weight that was previously on my mouth and eyes started to alleviate, allowing a noise resembling a groan or mumble to come through.

"He's alive!"

My eyes started to flutter open, and all I could see was white. When my pupils settled into the brightness of the room, I started to see the people around me clearer. Kendall, Eleanor, and Cory were by my bed while Niall, Zayn, and Briana were seated at the foot of the bed on a futon looking thing. All of their eyes were wide and astounded as if they thought I had been dead or something.

"Well look who's awake," Cory joked, trying to ease the pressure in the room.

Kendall handed me a glass of water from the table beside her chair. "The doctor said you would be thirsty when you woke up."

I smiled at her and drank the water, just realizing how thirsty I actually had been when I woke up. "Thanks," I spoke, my voice sounding gravelly from disuse.

She just smiled at me in reply, a hint of sadness in her eyes that seemed foreign to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, directing the question to everyone who fell into an uncomfortable silence. "What's happened?"

Cory looked at me in confusion. "Do you know where you are?"

I nodded, wincing at the pain it caused me. "The hospital."

Cory nodded, then asked, "Do you know why you're here?"

My eyebrows furrowed at the question, and I closed my eyes as the knowledge of why I was placed in this hospital hit me. "I was taken by a guy named Nick," I said.

"Do you know why you were taken?" Cory pressed.

"I don't know why you're asking all these questions."

Eleanor's eyes seemed to electrify at my snappy answer. "You left my best friend in the hands of some lunatic that nearly killed him the last time he was there. So yeah, I'm pretty sure that we have every right to ask questions."

The room was filled with an eerie silence as I had no answer to what Eleanor Calder had said. I knew that I left Tomlinson... but I don't think it really hit me that I left him alone. God knows what Nick would do to him now that he's alone.

_You left him with a lunatic._

The door slammed open and I barely had any time to brace myself before a streak of black was holding me in their arms. "Oh God, thank you, thank you!"

"Uh… Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"You're squishing me."

The pressure on my ribs decreased a bit, but she was still holding me like a baby, her face in my hair. I could feel my hair start to get wet from some tears.

My friends started to pile out of the room, insisting that I needed time alone with my parents. Unfortunately everything was moving too fast for me to protest, and before I knew it they were gone.

I looked up and saw a doctor and my father standing in front of me, both wearing large smiles on their faces. My father's eyes were red, and I remembered what had happened when I was back with Nick, but I quickly left that thought alone.

I would cross that bridge when the time came, but now I had my family back, and my friends back. But why couldn't I get rid of this sickening feeling in my stomach?

When my mother finally calmed herself and dismissed herself to go call my step dad, Robin, who was at work, things started to calm down and I could think clearly.

"Well, Mister Styles, you are quite a lucky duck. I'm Dr. Schwartz, and I was the one who treated you. You're very lucky that you weren't there for another few days, or I'm sure you would have had a lot more treatment to go through. You see, Mr. Styles, they didn't feed you enough for any human to survive with what trauma you were going through."

"Then how did I survive as long as I did?"

The doctor tapped his pen on the top of the clipboard in his hands, making a clicking sound with his tongue. "You were severely malnourished, and I can't imagine what would have caused your body to function with the stress I've seen on your muscles. I do have a question, Mr. Styles. Did you run a significant amount when you were kidnapped?"

I nodded, taking a deep breath to calm myself at the thought of hearing everyone's screams. And then when Tomlinson was submerged with water… his face was so scared. I wonder what he was thinking now… did he know that he was alone? 

Did he even know that I had left him?

"Mr. Styles?"

I looked up to see the doctor and my father who both had worried looks on their faces. "Yeah, uh, I did actually."

"That's what I thought- there was a significant amount of strain done to both your quadriceps and hamstrings. It might be best to be pushed around in a wheelchair for the next week or so, to let those heal."

I nodded, listening to the doctor, but not really hearing. It seemed as if I was still stuck in the cell.

"You have lost quite a bit of weight as well, which I have already talked to your parents about. I have given them a specific diet to get you back to your normal physical qualities like you were at before."

I looked at the doctor. And pursed my lips at the sympathetic look he had in his eye. "Is that all? Or can I go now?"

"Harry, don't be rash-" my father started, but the doctor waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, Sir. As for you, Harry, you are free to leave as soon as your parents sign you out. But one thing you must know- there are steps that people take after going through an ordeal like you have. Therapy is usually very successful, and very influential to people who have been through a trauma."

"So is that what this fucking was? A trauma?"

The doctor looked at me with wide eyes, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Harry, please-"

I looked at my father, a wild feeling taking over me as I looked into the eyes that were a carbon copy of my own. They were holding uncertainty and sympathy, but also loss. And I felt pain knowing that I was the one who caused that.

"Do you know what he made me do, Dad? Do you know how he made me choose between Mom and Sam? Do you know how he made me choose between them?"

My father's eyes widened, and a look of horror clouded his face. The doctor just looked at me in shock. "Do you know how it felt to watch your stepmother die because of you?" I asked, my voice breaking.

My mother walked in the room, tears in her eyes, telling me that she heard everything I had just said. Her eyes were so sad, but not of sympathy, just pure sadness. She walked in and took me in her arms, once again holding me like a child. But I didn't really mind.

"He made it sound like he was torturing you guys. He made it sound like he was killing you… that's why I was running, Dr. Schwartz. I needed to save my family."

The doctor nodded, and put a hand on my foot as if it would provide some sort of comfort. Everything just felt numb. "I'm sure you saved them, Harry. Everything is going to be okay, now."

I shook my head, a tear falling from my eye. "No, no it's not."

"Harry, you're safe now. You're alive, here, with all of us." My mother soothed, her voice as smooth as the sea.

I shook my head again, trying to make them understand. "No, you're wrong."

"About what, Harry?" My father asked this time, his voice strained. "What's wrong?"

A sob choked out from my throat. "I left him. I left my Louis."

"Your Louis?" My mother asked.

"Louis Tomlinson, Mom. He betrayed me, but he didn't mean to. I know he didn't mean to, I see it now. He did it so I could escape and I could be safe. He sacrificed his life for me, Mom."

"Nick still has Louis?"

"He's going to be dead soon, Mom. He's alive, but not for long. Oh God, Nick is probably killing him right now. He promised me everything was going to be alright, and with what Dr. Schwartz said, if he’s there for a few more days, he’ll die of-"

"Harry, you're not making any sense," my father interrupted.

I took a deep breath and softly took myself from my mother's loving arms. "Louis Tomlinson, Dad. We need to save Louis before it's too late."

-Louis POV-

It's easy to feel alone in the likes of a dark and cold cell. I can hear the sound of water dripping down from the pipes on the ceilings, and the sound of a light pitter patter from above me, making their living in the ceiling.

My eyes have long gotten used to the darkness, but I still could barely see my arms in front of me, the only light in the room coming from the door- now open to see the guards pass by, but the metal bars separating me from my misery and freedom didn't change a thing.

I didn't like being in the light. I didn't like seeing what Nick had done to me. So I stayed in the safety of the dark corner away from the door.

My captors wouldn't be able to see me unless they poke their head in the room and physically make an effort to find me. Not that I care anyway. I was quickly starting to lose all hope of getting out of here.

It wasn't like I could vocalize my plans to anyone, I mean, Styles had long since left the building. It would be useless to speak out in the open anyway because the guards standing outside the cell would be able to hear me and know what I was planning.

So, either way, I was basically screwed.

I could feel my body start to turn against itself and deteriorate from the lack of nutrients I had been given. Styles had been gone a few days given the shifts from the guards, and the food rationing has been far less than it was before. I didn't even eat yesterday.

I knew that when Styles left it was going to get bad, but I didn't know that it would be like this. I expected Nick to make his move on me sooner than what it has been- I mean, now I have been acting like a sitting duck waiting for the next torture session.

Nick seemed to be so pleased at the thought of Styles leaving, and me staying. I couldn't understand the validity for sending Styles away. Styles was the reason why Nick ever kidnapped anyone, including me, and he just ships him off back to his own bed? Yeah, I don't think so.

My heart clenched at the thought of Nick tricking the both of us. What if Styles hadn't actually been able to go and save Kendall? What if Nick sent Styles to his death, never to be seen again? I don't know if I would be able to live with myself if that were the case.

As much as I hate to admit it- Harry Styles is one of the most important people in my life now.

And if anything were ever to happen to that frog face, I don't know what I would be able to do with myself.

It's amazing how one's thought process can change that much in such a short period of time. I had hated Harry Styles for everything that I perceived him to be, and I didn't bother to get to know him for the person that he was.

I know that he had told me that I changed him, but I don't believe that someone can change in that short of time. They would have to had been that way before, and from what I have heard Styles tell me about his life, I know I was able to see the real Harry Styles.

I don't know if he was able to say the same thing about me, though.

If there's anything I regret, it's that I wasn't able to open up more to him as he was able to open up to me. It seems selfish for me to assume that he would just tell me everything while I had been keeping secrets about who I am the whole time he was there.

And now that he's not, I feel like all those secrets are slowly drowning me, leading me down through an endless abyss of no return.

Surely talking to Styles about my feelings would have felt a lot better than what I am feeling now. Now I just feel lost with no way out.

A feeling in which I know too well.

_Fizzy wasn't waking up. Why wasn't she waking up? She normally wakes up when she's sleeping! But she was never bleeding before…_

_"Wake up, Fizzy," I begged. "Mummy wants us to come home!"_

_Her chest was still and her face didn't move at all. I tried to slap her cheeks to see if she would open his eyes but they stayed shut… she wasn't going to wake up._

_Fizzy wasn't going to wake up._

_Tears continued to stream down my face and I started to choke on my sobs. "Fi-Fizzy! Pl-Please wake up!"_

_My small hands were covering her cheeks, trying to feel for a small twitch of her smile, the soft feeling of her breath, or the warmth of her skin. But I felt nothing. There was nothing._

_My mind couldn't put the pieces together- there was no way that Fizzy wasn't going to wake up. She was my older sister... she was my knight in shining armor, she was my best friend, she was everything to me. It wasn't possible for her to never wake up again. She just had to._

_But she wasn't going to._

_I've never felt loss before. Everything was perfect in my eyes, and every small problem went over my naïve head. But unfortunately there was no way that I was going to be able to not understand this. My sister was gone, and she wasn't coming back._

_She was covered in blood, drowning in it, just as I was drowning in the pain._

_I looked down and held Fizzy's hands one last time, squeezing them in one last effort to try and get her to wake up. I knew that she would want me to run and escape, but I needed to say goodbye. I somehow knew on some level that I wasn't going to be able to see her ever again._

_After trying to stop myself from choking on my sobs, I stood up and ran out of the building. Fizzy had told me where to go before Nick had came and killed her, so I knew where I needed to go._

_I was lucky that the guards weren't anywhere in sight and weren't expecting me to be able to figure my way out of the complex, thinking that I was just some sort of weak child. But I wasn't weak. I was never weak. Fizzy taught me that._

_My short legs carried me out of the complex and out into the sun. I couldn't see anything for a few seconds, as the sun was blinding coming out from the darkness, but it felt refreshing to feel the sun on my skin and breath fresh air once again._

_If only Fizzy would be able to feel this…_

_I continued on and ran as far as I could for as long as I could, finding myself lost in the middle of nowhere. My small body was getting tired, and I had to stop and sit down as I started to feel myself drift out of consciousness._

_I could vaguely smell the sweet smell of strawberries before I turned to read a sign that said, Lily’s Strawberry Farm._

_Then I passed out, and my sister’s existence was promptly erased from my mind._

Tears were streaming down my face as I remembered my sister. It felt sickening to think that I was probably going to die in the same place that she was even after everything she went through so that I wouldn't have to.

She died so that I could live, and look at where that got me?

I felt as if I was failing her, losing my resolve to live like this. I know that if Fizzy could see me now, she would be disappointed in me giving up, but it has been days. Days without any ideas, without any hope, without anything at all.

It has just been me, myself, and the cell wall.

If only Styles were here… but then he would be forced to face the same things I was going to. He would be forced to face his worst fears, even after going through the Labyrinth, and I could never do that to him.

I wouldn't subject anyone to that kind of torture.

I remember when I hated him, when I hated Harry Styles. He was just so oblivious to everything, and he expected things from everyone. I, apparently, had been the first person to not be what he expected.

_It was my first day attending Freeland High School. My mother had been homeschooling me and taking me on her tours with her for as long as could remember, but all the sudden she decided that it would be best for me if I just stayed home and went to public school with all the delinquents._

_To be honest, I thought she was kidding at first. But as I walked through the doors of Freeland High, I finally accepted that this indeed was not one of my mother's jokes and actually one of her dumb social experiments._

_I was sure of it._

_The people walking the halls should not have even been called people. Couples were making out against the lockers, the staff walking through oblivious to it all- or merely not caring about what the delinquents were doing, and it was just so loud._

_I felt as if I was at a zoo, and the students were the animals who had just been released from captivity._

_I decided that it would be best if I just got to my first hour class period and ignored the rest of the student body for as long as I could. I figured, like most animals, that they would not attack without being provoked._

_And God, I didn't feel like being attacked._

_My desire was short lived as all of the sudden a voice called out, "Hey cutie!"_

_I slowed down a bit, looking out of the corner of my eye to see what nutcase decided to jump out at me. When I saw nothing that looked out of order, I kept walking and tried to mind my own business until the voice rang out again._

_"Hey, new guy! Slow down, would ya?"_

_I slowly turned around, frowning as I saw a guy with dark drown curls and the most captivating green eyes staring at me hungrily. He had more of a lankier build, and I assumed that he was an athlete from the amount of muscle that I could see through his tight shirt._

_"What do you want?" I demanded, a little flustered from the sudden act in the limelight._

_The boy just smirked and ran a hand through his unruly hair. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to woo me, and had to keep myself from laughing when he started to walk, more like strut, in my direction. It was like one of those hilarious movies that the staff watches._

_"Well, first I would like to know your name, cutie."_

_I rolled my eyes. "You can call me Tomlinson."_

_The guy laughed, and reached out to grab a lock of my hair, but I stepped back to avoid him. "Is that some sort of Nickname or something, cutie?"_

_"Try last name, dumbass."_

_His green eyes twinkled with amusement. "If we're going by last names, then call me Styles."_

_I frowned, shocked at how forward this guy was being. He lightly turned my shoulder and threw his arm around my shoulders so that I was facing the way to my first class. I politely took his arm off of me and stopped in my tracks._

_"So, wanna go out with me or what?"_

_I looked at Styles with wide eyes. "Uh, no."_

_The smug look disappeared from his face and shock soon replaced it. "Wait, what?"_

_"I'm pretty sure you heard me right. I don't want to go out with you, Styles."_

_His face turned red as he started to seethe with anger before turning away from me and walking away with what dignity he had left._

That was the day that marked the beginning of Styles and I's reign of hatred for each other. I humiliated him in front of his friends, and for some reason he was never able to get over what happened that day.

But after talking to him, after being able to get to know the real Harry Styles… I knew that the reasons ran further than just annoyance. It was the baggage that he carried after never knowing his father that hit him in that moment, but I never understood it until now.

I just wish I could apologize to him. I knew that I messed up my relationship with him for probably the rest of my life, but after knowing that the entire time we have been rivals to each other could have been avoided if I didn't embarrass him like I did- I couldn't help but wish he was here.

I needed to let him know that I was sorry, and that it was all my fault.

All of the sudden I heard the sound of creaking from the cell door opening, and two men walked into the cell silently. If I didn't hear the sound of the door, I wouldn't know they were even there- they walked silently and stealthily, as if they were trained to do so.

The two men grabbed me and forcibly dragged me through the hallways of the institution. I was too weak both physically and mentally to fight back and try to figure out where they were taking me. I couldn't really figure out what was going on- the light was hard on my eyes.

I felt them stop and throw me to the ground. I tried to sit up and see what was going on, but everything was so disorienting. 

The only thing that I could see was "Door 21".

One of the men pushed a few buttons on a lock before the door opened, and the smell that came through was intoxicating. I started to struggle and try to get out of the other man's grasp, but he was too strong and I was too weak. It was pointless.

I was gripped up by my shoulders and forced into a standing position. "Good luck, Louis."

The next thing I knew I was being shoved into the room and the door was slammed behind me. I started to shake, remembering the last time I heard of this place.

A tear leaked from the corner of my eye. 

This is where I was going to die.

-Harry POV-

The first thing that registered when I woke up was that the sun was shining. The sunshine usually made me feel at home and safe. But this time, the sunshine reminded me about my missing friend, who wasn't able to see the sun. He probably wasn't able to see anything.

I felt my hands being held, both from opposite sides of the bed. The dark hair and soft touch of my mother was coming from my left, while the brown hair and strong hold of my ex-girlfriend was coming from my right.

My eyes started to come more in focus and I saw that my mom was reading a book while Kendall's attention was directed at the bedding and I recognized the look on her face as one being lost in thought.

A few months ago this scene would have been enough to make me feel the comfort of being at home, with the two people I cared most about right beside me. But now, nothing would make me feel at home again until a particular sassy beauty was holding me tight.

"Harry," a voice breathed.

I turned to my left and smiled at my mother who had tears in her eyes. "Hey, Mom."

She smiled at me, and a comforting feeling washed over me. She squeezed my hand and then nodded toward Kendall with a knowing look on her face. "Harry, you're awake!"

I looked to my right to be met with wide emerald eyes that were shining with happiness. "Hey, Kendall."

She gave me a light hug and fell back into her chair, the smile never once leaving her face. "You have no idea how glad we are to see that you're awake. I mean, you were awake before, but now you're probably not going to be delirious so we can actually talk and-"

"I got it, Kendall," I laughed. My laugh came up short, remembering the last time that I was able to laugh and let loose in any situation. Everything is different, now.

"You okay?"

I looked between the two people who meant so much to me, but now…

"Harry Styles, do you mind if we ask you some questions?"

My head shot up to see two men wearing clean cut suits and badges that practically screamed Federal Agent. I shook my head, still in shock at seeing two men that I didn't hear enter the room.

"Great. I am Agent Charleston and this is Agent Palmer. We'd like to ask you a few questions about where you have been the past month. Does that sound fine for you?"

I took a deep breath. "As long as my mom and my friend get to stay here with me."

I felt my mother squeeze my hand, and I knew that she wasn't going to leave my side no matter what these agents told her. Kendall took her hand from mine, and crossed her arms with a glare pointed at the agents.

Agent Charleston looked between my mother and Kendall seamlessly. "Of course, Mr. Styles. Whatever helps you feel comfortable." He pulled out a voice recorder and held it up so that everyone in the room could see it. "Do you mind if we record this conversation?"

I chose to ignore the question and get to the point… which is something I've witnessed Louis do a thousand times. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you at all remember what happened while you were being held captive, Mr. Styles?" Agent Palmer asked.

I took a deep breath before answering, trying to keep the images of the torture from running through my mind. "Yes."

Agent Charleston looked surprised. "You do?"

I nodded. "So I'm guessing you want me to tell you what happened?"

The agents nodded simultaneously and shifted in anticipation. "That would be great, if you feel comfortable doing that of course."

"Harry, you don't have to do this," My mom whispered at my side. "Remember when the doctor asked you questions? You don't have to do this to yourself."

I looked at my mom with determination. "I need to do this if we are going to save Louis, mom. He's still there, and as long as I'm still alive, there is nothing that is going to stop me from finding him."

My mother's eyes twinkled and she nodded while giving my hand a squeeze.

"So, Mr. Styles, if you could start from the beginning?"

"Our school had a lockdown, and I remember hearing that it wasn't a drill and that someone was in the building over the intercom. Louis Tomlinson and I had been sent to the office because we had a dispute over some of our differences in class. Nick Grimshaw found us and used chloroform to drug us and bring the two of us to where he held us captive."

"Do you know the location of where he held you?" Agent Charleston asked.

"No, Louis and I never saw the light of day, let alone where they had been holding us. When they freed me I was drugged and the next thing I know I was laying in the hospital bed. So, no, I have no idea where Nick is."

"What happened while he was holding you captive? Your doctor told us that you have multiple strained muscles, especially in your legs. Do you mind telling us what happened?" Agent Palmer prodded.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was about to come next. "Okay, but I need to start at the beginning. Louis and I were forced to do things that we didn't want to do, things that almost drove us crazy. Nick's method of torture isn't as physical as it is mental. He drives people insane and ruins their lives. That's what he tried to do to Louis and I."

"What were some of the things that he did to you?" Agent Charleston asked.

"Before I tell you, I need to explain something first, if that's okay with you?" The agents nodded, and I continued. "According to Louis, he has a total of three phases, or three sessions of torture that mess with your brain and make you want to give up."

"How many phases did he complete with you?"

"Two, I think. The first one was when he forced me to choose between my mother and my stepmother, Samantha..." I drifted off, feeling tears pricking my eyes. "He had two snipers trained to shoot at either one of them and he made me choose which one would get the bullet or they would both die. He made me kill my stepmother… and if it weren't for Louis, I would have lost it right there."

"And did Louis have to go through the same trials that you did?" Agent Palmer asked.

I shook my head before answering, "No, Nick designs the phases specific to the person. I have been described as extremely loyal and once Louis had told me that I would watch the world burn in order to save a friend. He used that against me."

The agents nodded, and then waited patiently for me to continue. I could feel my mom's grip tighten after what I had just released.

"The second one is kind of debatable. He beat up Louis in front of me and made me watch him torture the poor boy every bit as much as they tortured me. After they beat him up, I was knocked out and I woke up in a place that Louis called the Labyrinth. It is basically a maze that is dark and all you hear is the people you love begging for mercy, calling out for you." I heard Kendall's breath catch when I paused. "I heard all of my friends and family- everyone I cared about suffer and all I could think that Nick was harming them to get to me. But then I heard Louis … and he seemed to pull me back to reality and got me to help him and keep him from drowning, which was a little too close for comfort, in the end."

"What happened next, Mr. Styles?" Agent Palmer asked.

I looked out the window only to notice that the sunshine had diminished and that a cool gray had taken its place, and that there was a haunting sound of raindrops hitting the window. "Nick, uh, he showed me a video of Kendall being held captive and gave me a choice- stay in captivity with Louis or leave to go help Kendall… and I chose to help Kendall."

"You told the doctor that Louis Tomlinson betrayed you, Mr. Styles. What did you mean by that?" Agent Charleston asked, delicately prodding my raging senses.

Tears started to form in my eyes. "Before I left, Louis and I tried to break out of our cell, and his plan didn't work; we were captured again. But Nick became all buddy-buddy with Louis, and that is when he gave me the choice. He wanted me to leave him there, all alone… he wanted me to live with that on my conscience."

"So he didn't betray you?"

"He saved me, Agent Charleston. He got me out of there, and now I need to do the same."

The rest of the conversation was a blur. The agents asked my mother a few questions, and then asked Kendall a few questions about some sort of video.

When the agents left, they gave my mother their cards and contact information in case I hear or remember something else.

After they had gone, the silence in the room was deafening. I knew that my mom and Kendall were still trying to wrap their heads around everything I had just openly admitted. I knew that they were probably going to view me as weak or pathetic, but if those agents had anything that could help lead them to Louis - it would be worth it.

"So, uh, what video were they talking about, Kendall?" I asked, vaguely interested. I could remember someone talking about a video whilst I was waking up the first time, but nothing really seemed out of order.

I turned to look at the girl next to me, whose face was clouded over with guilt.

"What's wrong?"

Kendall shook her head for a second, and I could see tears prick at her eyes that now radiated with sadness.

"Kendall… what's going on?"

"When I woke up after being kidnapped… after finding you, I also found a video..."

I felt my heartbeat start to quicken, and I could practically feel it beat out of my chest. "Did Nick send us something?"

Kendall looked at me with unrequited sorrow. "Harry, he left a message for you… and I'm not sure if you're going to like it."

I took a deep breath to keep myself from losing grip on reality. "Show me."

"Harry-"

_"Show me!"_

She must have seen the sharp look in my eyes, the desperation in my eyes. The desire to find something, anything that told me that Louis Tomlinson was still alive and that I wasn't just holding onto a memory. This guy had rocked my world, and God help me, I wasn't going to lose him now.

"Okay."

Kendall pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through a few things before clicking on something in particular. She paused for a second before looking at me. "It's a little graphic, and I'm just warning you that it's not going to sit well."

I nodded, and took her hand before looking at the screen. "I can do this, Kendall."

She pressed the play button and my breath caught at the sight in front of me. Louis was leaning against the cell wall, restrained, and Nick was stalking around him, laughing like a maniac.

Nick's voice sent chills down my spine as he spoke through the speakers. _"No, no. That would be too much work for me. I simply let him leave the campus. Besides, it will be fun to get to have you all to myself?"_

I saw Louis's eyebrows shoot up and I knew they were talking about me. _"So you just let him go?"_

Nick laughed again, and the look he gave Louis made chills go down my spine. _"I would never just let someone leave, would I? Now, Lou, do you remember what I made your sister do before I killed her? It had something to do with you and a certain woman named Alexa."_ Louis's sound of horror in his accent made my stomach churn. 

_"You made him choose?"_ My heart clenched at the voice crack that was just so broken, the smallness of his voice, knowing that I was the one to cause it.

_"Of course I did. And do you wish to know who I made him choose between?"_

I helplessly looked on in shock at the defeated expression on Louis's face. He started to shake his head in denial, and his blue eyes clouded over in pain. _"No, no he would never do that."_

_"But Lou, if he didn't choose someone else over you, why isn't he here?"_

_"No, you're lying. All you do is lie!"_ I saw tears pour down Louis’s face. My breathing hitched as I watched Nick do the impossible and break Louis Tomlinson. I saw Louis lurch forward, fragile wrists helplessly tugging against the metal cuffs around his hands. 

_"Oh please, Lou. You know that I'm not lying to you. You know that your dear Styles has left you… you're not good enough for him."_

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, and I forced my hands away from my mother and Kendall, and they found their way to my temples. 

_"He wouldn't have done that."_

_"But he did, didn't he? He left you all alone. Nothing is permanent for you, Lou. You will never have what you desire most, and that is what you must live with."_

_"I fucking hate you!"_

_"Is it that you hate me, or that you hate someone else? I believe your feelings are misplaced this time, Lou. I wasn't the one who left you to rot."_

I was able to get myself under control as I watched the inner turmoil on Louis's face as he let Nick's words sink in. 

Even worse, I watched as his mind began to believe what was being put in it. 

_"You must be wondering who he had chosen."_ Nick sauntered. Louis shook his head, and his eyes grew wide.

_"I'm going to tell you anyway. You see, while you and Styles were plotting your escape, I had a few errands to run myself. Harry's ex-girlfriend, Kendall Jenner, and someone I know to be your friend, went missing a week ago."_

Kendall's breathing started to hitch, and I looked to my right to see tears streaming down her face, and a look of guilt shrouding over her usually happy face. I put my arm around her shoulders, and pulled her in a half-hug, knowing that both of us needed it.

 _"Kendall is quite a feisty one. She gave you a run for your money, but I was quite disappointed with how fast it took me to get her to crack. You're still my champion, Lou. He has to have cared for you a little right? However, I gave Mr. Styles the choice on who he was to save, and he chose Kendall.”_ Nick pouted annoyingly. _“An eye for an eye, I suppose. Must sting a little, right?"_

_"Bold of you to assume Harry even fucking cares for me, Nick. He left me here alone, right? But now, at least I can focus on haunting you for the rest of your puny life. I will never leave you alone, and I’ll be known as the person who managed to make Nick Grimshaw lose his fucking shit. So please, kill me and I will make it my job to find you a spot in hell so you can rot for eternity. I'm not afraid to die, not after the hell you put me through, twice.”_

_“Oh, you little-”_

The screen went black, and the last words seemed to echo throughout the room. It seemed as though it was a death sentence… my world seemed to tilt dangerously at the very thought.

"Maybe it would be best if you guys left," I spoke, my voice coming out strained and tight.

My mother didn't say anything as she got up, but she kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulder, and Kendall wordlessly followed her.

When the door closed, separating me and all others, the tears started to stream down my face. I couldn't stand watching Louis be so helpless and scared, watching as the strongest person I know broke down… and that it was all my fault. I saw Nick Grimshaw manage to break the unbreakable. He said that Nick tore him apart enough not to care about his life. No. I won’t let it happen. Even though I had a gut feeling he would be dead in the next hour. Based on the end of the video, I doubted he’d make it the next ten minutes.

If I had just seen his ploy earlier, if I had just calmed myself down; I would have been able to see that Louis was trying to save me- he was going to sacrifice his own happiness for mine. Hell, his own life for mine. 

Through the tears, I could feel my heartbeat push through my chest, and my stomach churned. I couldn't help but remember the promise that he made me make.

He made me promise to keep moving on even if something happened to him. He made me promise that I would keep pushing on even if he was unable to. A sob escaped my throat at the memory. 

Louis has always been so selfless, and all I've ever been is a dick.

I remembered when I saw him in the tank with water overflowing, and the look on his face... he was surprised that I came back for him. He thought I was going to leave him there to die. All I've done the entire time we've known each other was give him even more reason to hate me and think that I would never do anything for him.

That's something that I'll need to apologize for- in person.

My thoughts drifted and haunted me until I felt the fatigue finally overtake my body and I slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few days after watching the video, the doctors finally decided that I was rejuvenated enough to be able to leave the hospital. I had lost a lot of weight, so my parents were given a list of things that I should be eating for the next few weeks to gain back my strength.

And as for going back to school… if I wanted to go back, I could, but according to one of my teachers and coincidentally my step-father, it would be pointless to finish the year with the amount I have missed. So, basically I was going to have to make it up through summer school or I wouldn't graduate on time.

I decided that summer school would be the best option.

At the thought of school, I couldn't help but think of Louis. I mean, he wouldn't have to take summer school like I do. He would be able to come back and catch up in time to get his grade back by finals.

He has always been very smart and motivated; it was extremely intimidating to have him as someone in my graduating class. He has always been one of the top students, and when Mr. Brunner put the two of us as partners, it was almost too good to be true.

I just wish I could go back in time and change everything… but it's too late now. Now I just need to find Louis and keep him safe when I do. That's the least I could do.

"Harry, you ready?"

My step-father's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, Robin. I just need to get my clothes on and then I'm finally out of here."

The pepper haired man chuckled and his smile reached his eyes. "Have I told you I'm glad you're back? Now someone can finally eat all of your mother's cookies."

I weakly smiled at the sound of my mom's homemade cookies that were literally heaven on earth. "I can't wait to have some again."

"Okay, well, I'll leave you to get dressed. Just yell if you need me."

I nodded and watched as he walked out of the room and shut the door so I had some privacy. The worst part about this hospital gown is that it showed everything that really shouldn't be shown if I stood up, and my mother found out the hard way.

A blush found my cheeks as I quickly put on a pair of basketball shorts and a tee, minding the pain in my legs. The doctor had told me that the strains will wear off eventually, but it's tricky with hamstring and quadriceps injuries. Apparently I might be looking at an entire summer of rest and school.

Not that I'm complaining.

"I'm ready, Robin!" I yelled, as I slipped on my slides.

He walked in the door and had to take a deep breath as he took in the sight in front of him. My tee that used to be form-fitting hung off of my shoulders loosely and my basketball shorts were hanging loosely from my hips and while before they were almost too tight to wear.

As soon as I started to take a few steps toward the door I couldn't hide my wince in pain. And of course, Robin saw this.

"Are you sure you don't want a wheelchair, Harry? There's nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair, you know."

I shook my head stubbornly and walked past my step-father into the hall. "I'm fine, Robin."

We walked out of the hospital after Robin signed a few release forms and hopped into his Prius.

"You all in?" He asked jokingly before he pulled out.

I hummed a bit in response, taking in the sight around me. Manhattan hasn't changed a bit since the last time I had seen it. Life seemed to be carrying on as usual, which a part of me felt so wrong to be watching this.

How could these people just be living their lives like normal while a madman like Nick Grimshaw is on the loose? How can these people be carrying on while I feel like slipping through the cracks? It just seems so wrong.

I wish Louis was here. He would be able to understand what I was thinking. Somehow, he always did.

"Harry, we're here."

I looked at my surroundings in a different light, shocked to see that Robin was actually right and that we were stationed in front of the apartment complex that I had called home.

Wordlessly I got out of the Prius and looked at the people who walked on by, some talking on their cell phones, others looking at their watches, and a few couples holding hands walking down the street.

None of them saw me.

Hell, two months ago I wouldn't have seen them either.

I flinched violently when a hand grabbed my shoulder. "You ready, Harry?"

I nodded wordlessly and together my step-father and I walked into the complex and slowly took the stairs up to the floor where my apartment was.

Robin took out the key and unlocked the door and left me to open the door. The door let out the usual creaking noise that I had grown used to, and it opened to a brightly lit room.

"WELCOME HOME HARRY!"

I jumped at the noise and smiled at the sight in front of me. All my friends and family were in the tiny apartment that had been decorated with party things and a huge sign that said "Welcome Home."

I quickly noticed that some of Louis's friends were there- Eleanor Calder, Niall Horan, and Briana Jungwirth. It was odd to see them in my house, but strangely comforting at the same time. But I still questioned why they were there.

The three girls seemed to be buddy-buddy with my friends, who had obviously gotten into my mom's cookies. Zayn's lips and teeth were stained blue, which gave him away.

I was dragged over to the group of friends, and I was about to snap at whoever did that but when I saw the familiar hair I bit my tongue. "Hey guys!" Kendall exclaimed. "Look who I found!"

The guys clapped me on the back while Niall and Briana offered me kind smiles and told me they were glad I was alright. Kendall was smiling at everyone, too. But what really threw me off was Eleanor, who wasn't even trying to act happy to be there, and the look on her face told me that something was missing.

The others got themselves into a conversation about all of the things they were going to have to do with me now that I was back, while I couldn't help but look at Eleanor in curiosity.

She was the opposite of Louis, obviously. Her hardened exterior and rough interior is a definite contrast to Louis's nerdy through and through. But I could tell they shared one thing- it was a rough past. Cory had told me that Eleanor took the brunt of their parent's divorce, and until now I hadn't believed it.

But now, seeing Eleanor Calder look like she was broken and lost- it made it all obvious to me. She had been Louis’s best friend, the one who she confided in and trusted most. 

She had been to Louis what Cory is to me.

She turned to look at me, and my breathing stopped at the pain in her eyes. She glared at me showing nothing but hatred. I understood what she was thinking. Why is he fine while Louis is still stuck in that hellhole?

I couldn't help but agree with her.

"Eleanor, I know it must be hard for you to see me come back while Tomlinson is still being held captive by Nick," I started.

"I'm surprised, Styles. You actually believe I care about what you think!" Her eyes looked as if they were electrifying and her voice seethed with anger.

My fists clenched as I tried to keep my cool. "Look Calder, I get it. Okay? I wish Lou was here instead of me. God knows that he deserves freedom more than I ever will. But he's not here, okay? He sacrificed himself to save me, and now I have every intention to get him back safely."

Her eyes widened and I watched in some twisted amusement as her mouth opened and closed, making her look like a fish.

The conversation that the others were having started to tune in and I was shocked at what I was hearing.

"I hacked into Nick's server, but all I could find was stuff about this Door 21. I mean, as soon as I was able to get the gist of it I was booted out. That guy is good," Zayn said, taking a bite into his cookie.

"Wait, what do you mean, Zayn?" I asked, looking at him in shock. His eyes immediately widened as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, uh, actually uhm… Cory do you want to explain?"

I turned to Cory with expectant eyes and crossed my arms at his blank look. "Is someone going to tell me what this is all about?"

Oddly enough, it was a voice from behind me that answered. "Sure, Styles. What do you want to know?"

I turned to look in the eyes of a smiling Eleanor Calder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 chapters left y'all!  
> After this book, I think I'm going to do a translation from another couple if I can get the permission of the author. I've loved the book for the longest time and I think y'all will too!  
> The book name finally appeared in this chapter, so now you know where I got it from.  
> See you next Friday, probably somewhere around 4-5 pm pst:)


	8. door 21, the death of a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers:  
> Stabbing, death.  
> This chapter is in my top three of favorite chapters in this book.  
> Enjoy:)

-Louis POV-

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. I could hear wind blowing through the trees, and I could smell the sweetness in the air that could only be one thing: my father's signature pancakes.

I smiled and opened my eyes, taking in the scenery around me. I was in my bed with way too many pillows to be sane, and all my books are perfectly in order in their bookcase, along with my desk that is neat and ready to go with designs.

My mother started letting me help her on architectural projects, and I had just finished designing a new building that the state is going to use for a computer library- the first of its kind.

Of course, she had to approve of everything before it was going to be sent in, but I was still sure of the finality of the designs nonetheless.

I got out of the bed and shivered when my bare feet touched the cool hardwood floors that my mother had insisted run through the house after Fizzy kept ruining the carpet with her "chemical inventions"… or in other words; a mess in a bottle.

"Louis, dear, are you awake?" My mother's voice called out from the hallway. A knock on the door soon followed and I knew my moment in peace had been ruined.

"I'm awake, mother! I'll get dressed and be down in a second!"

I heard a soft chuckle come from the other side of the door. "Why, you better hurry! Your father is going to burn the pancakes if you don't get moving!"

I laughed, remembering the last time my father had tried to make breakfast for everyone. Of course, it hadn't been his well-practiced pancakes, but the incident did involve the fire department who weren't too happy about the whole ordeal.

Smiling at the memory, I quickly got myself dressed and hurried down the stairs to scrounge up those pancakes that I have to wait every Saturday morning for.

"Hey angel, how you doing?"

My father was wearing his favorite "Kiss the Chef" apron that one of my sisters had gotten him last Christmas. Fizzy and everyone else thought it was hilarious whilst my father actually thought that it was more of a fact than a joke.

I walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek before grabbing banana from the table. "I'm great, Dad. I have a feeling it's going to be a wonderful day!"

I heard my mother laugh from the nook where she had been reading the daily paper. "Someone's chipper this morning, don't you think, Troy?"

My father chuckled and tossed a few pancakes on a plate before handing it to me. "Might this have something to do with that young man that you have been seeing lately?"

I choked on the piece of banana I had been chewing. "Oh, um, yeah, about that-"

"What a wonderful morning, everyone!"

I sighed in relief as my savior walked down the stairs, striking hair in a mess. "Fizzy, great timing as always."

She smiled and laughed at my father, obviously still not over the whole apron thing. "Hey Dad, does that mean I gotta kiss you? Because I'm pretty sure that would be a bit awkward and all…"

Our father's face turned red and he looked between me and my mother with a bewildered look on his face. "Is it that bad?"

My mother laughed and got up from where she had been perched. "No, I don't see any problem with this apron, Troy." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "No problem at all."

Fizzy waved her arms and closed her eyes. "Okay, okay, enough with the PDA? Please? Louis and I don't really need to see this, right Lou Bear?"

I took a tormented sigh and looked at her with an evil smile. "Oh, I don't think this is anything compared to what I heard you and Alexa doing last night, Fizzy."

Our parents both turned to look at Fizzy in a somewhat comical fashion. "Oh, Fizzy," Our mother seethed. "What might have you been doing last night?"

Fizzy's face turned bright red and she turned to me, giving me the angriest glare she could muster. But apparently she saw the comedy in this as well, and couldn't help but make it a tad playful. "I swear, I have no idea what Lou is talking about, Mom."

Our mother's hands went to her hips and her eyes narrowed at Fizzy as she went in for the kill. "Felicité Tomlinson, you better not have been sneaking around with Alexa the night before your wedding! You know that it's against the rules! No contact 24 hours before the ceremony!"

Fizzy scoffed. "Rules, schmules, Mom! That is something only old people did!"

Our mother raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Oh, well, your father and I followed that rule, and now what? Are you calling me old?"

I could hardly hide my laughter as Fizzy just shrugged, took a pancake, and ran up the stairs while my mother took off after her yelling the whole way.

"It seems like just any other morning, doesn't it, sweetums?"

I turned to smile at my dad but something else caught my eye first. "Fire!"

My father looked at me, confused. "What?"

I pointed at the stove where my father had left a tablecloth dangerously close to and apparently it caught flame. "Fire!"

He turned to look at where I was pointing at. "Ah!"

My father quickly grabbed the cup of orange juice someone had poured and dumped it on the rising flames. Then used the spatula to toss the burning tablecloth into the sink and watered it down, creating a puff of smoke that was too much for the fire alarms as they went off.

"Don't forget the stove!" I exclaimed, and my father quickly turned off the stove before relaxing as the imminent threat was now gone.

I relaxed in my position as well, completely ignoring the fact that the fire alarms were going off and obviously making enough noise to bother the nearest neighbors who were more than an acre away from here.

My mother and Fizzy came running down the stairs and Fizzy immediately came over to me and grabbed my arm ready to get out of here, but I shook my head. "Dad's got it under control this time."

Fizzy looked at my dad in shock and slowly started to laugh. The ridiculousness of the entire morning hit me as I started to laugh as well. My mother started to chuckle, leaving my father to start belly laughing.

But as funny as the moment was, my mother soon sobered up and her eyes began calculating everything around her. "Fizzy, go take your shower and get yourself ready- the other ladies will be over here in an hour." Fizzy's eyes widened a bit and she sprinted up the stairs and high-tailed it to the nearest shower.

"Louis, you go get yourself ready as well; the bridesmaids will be meeting at Alexa's home in one hour as well," My mother ordered. "And Troy? Make sure everything is cleaned up and ready for the wedding, please."

I didn't stay long enough to hear anything else that my mother had to say, I was smart enough to know that I didn't particularly want to be in the middle of all of it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I had quickly gotten ready to go meet up at Alexa's house to prepare for the wedding. My mother drove me the short distance and we quickly hopped out of the car and ran inside, knowing that even though we were on time, we still are probably pushing it for Alexa's stress levels.

"Oh, Louis, I'm so happy to see you!" Alexa exclaimed, and came running out to pull me in a hug. Her dark hair was in curlers and she had a glass of wine in her hand, making me smirk.

"It's nice to see you too, Alexa," I laughed. "Calming the nerves already?"

Alexa's smile widened. "It's never too early to calm the nerves, my dear."

She shared worthless words with my mother, whom was just elated that my older sister was finally going to get married to her long-time sweetheart. I wandered further into the home, and immediately saw the other bridesmaids, including Eleanor Calder, my best friend. I was the one male in the room, but Alexa had decided to make me one of her bridesmaids before Fizzy could. 

"I never thought I'd see the day where you weren't fifteen minutes early to something," Eleanor joked, and opened her arms wide to give me a hug.

"I'd like to say it's all my mom's fault, but then I'd be telling a complete lie," I laughed.

Eleanor's hair had been curled to perfection, and her face was obviously half done with makeup. "Eleanor, you should finish your makeup… I'd hate to see you run out of time and look like a clown."

She rolled her electric blue eyes and dragged me over to where the other bridesmaids were stationed. Alexa's older sister was her maid of honor, while her two best friends were the other bridesmaids besides Eleanor and I.

I thought it was nice that Alexa allowed Eleanor and Cory to be in the wedding, especially considering how much Fizzy cares about the two siblings. When their mother became a drunk and started to become abusive, Fizzy helped them out and now they live with her and Alexa in their home. When questioned about the decision, the couple explains that there was too much space for only two people. So why not make it four?

My relationship with Eleanor had only blossomed from that point on, and that was how I met my boyfriend. Harry Styles, Cory's best friend, started showing up in odd times in my life, and somehow the timing became right for the two of us after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend… and then we simply acted on our feelings.

Harry quickly became like a part of our family, and now the frog face is one of Fizzy's bridesmaids. 

You could say it was to get back at Alexa for stealing me into her bridal party before Fizzy could. 

"Louis, hurry up and get your hair pretty, will ya?" My eyes widened at Eleanor in front of me who had now a complete face of makeup. I was taken aback at how natural it looked, and I was surprised that Eleanor had actually let Alexa's sister take charge of her makeup.

"You look hot, El."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Not nearly as hot as you will be! Now hurry up and sit down so I can do your hair."

I sat down quietly and looked in the little mirror in front of me with a smile. Everything felt perfect, and I knew that this was just the beginning of a beautiful future. I had everything I wanted and needed.

Within a half hour, Eleanor had finished my hair that looked like a beautiful mess. 

I turned to the other bridesmaids who were fussing over Alexa, who was just doing the finishing touches on her makeup.

"Told ya that you would look hotter than me," Eleanor joked, her eyes slightly wide. "Hell, I never thought I'd ever see you in a something other than skinny jeans and an oversized sweater, Louis!"

Alexa's head turned at Eleanor's exclamation, and her eyes widened when she saw me. "Jesus, Louis, I might have to second guess having you walk in front of me!"

The other bridesmaids nodded in response and were all smiling at me beautifully, me being the only one in a suit. The suit matched with the bridesmaids dresses. "Thanks, Alexa, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. I mean, you look absolutely stunning and you're not even in your dress yet!"

She laughed and it sounded strangely like bells chiming in the wind. "Now I know why I keep you around," She joked.

My mother and Alexa's mother walked in the room wearing their outfits and started gushing over Alexa and how beautiful she looked. Well, it was more like Alexa's mother was doing the gushing and my mother was nodding in response. She wasn't really the type to overexpress her emotions.

"We are going to leave in thirty minutes for the Tomlinson's house, so you ladies should put your clothes on and get going!" Alexa's mother exclaimed, her eyes already showing traces of tears.

Alexa's mother and older sister helped her put on her gown while everyone else slipped into their bridesmaid dresses. The dresses were beautiful, and Alexa decided that she wasn't going to pick a single one and make everyone wear it- so, she got different dresses for each person depending on their body type, but every color was the same faded blue that was a fine choice.

"Girls, we should get going!" Alexa exclaimed, flushed with excitement. I barely held back a gasp at the sight of her, stunned to silence at the sheer beauty of her.

Her hair was curled to perfection, and I knew that the veil would fit perfectly. Her makeup was understated, but highlighted the natural beauty of her face, while her lips were a smooth pink color. Her dress was a beautiful A-line style, as she was long and lean like me. The dress was like her personality, simple but elegant, and I knew that Fizzy was going to pass out when she saw her.

Everyone started to leave the house and we decided that we were going to carpool back to my house, where the wedding was going to take place. The entire backyard was done to meet Alexa and Fizzy's needs, and it had a very rustic and natural feel.

Needless to say, I was in love with the results.

My mother drove me and a few other bridesmaids back to our home, where our yard and street was currently being used as a parking lot.

There were going to be 150 people at the wedding, so it wasn't exactly small, but it wasn't large either. My mother volunteered to use our home as a venue for the wedding, as it was secluded and large, and Alexa would have all the time in the world to plan her dream wedding.

I could only imagine what I would do for my wedding. 

And who would be waiting for me at the altar.

"Louis we need to get going!" Eleanor exclaimed from behind me, making me realize that I was alone in the car.

I shook my head from my thoughts and quickly got out of the car and met everyone in the house. My parents were directing everyone where to go, and Alexa had been escorted to my mother's office, where chairs and beverages were waiting for the bridal party.

My sister should be in her room with her bridesmaids, and by the calmness around me everything seems to be going off without a hitch… besides the smell of something being burnt, but my father did a good job cleaning up after his little problem this morning.

The pastor arrived fifteen minutes before the ceremony, and I was stuck on guard duty to make sure that no one would barge in my mother's office who weren't supposed to- namely, my sister.

"Louis, you look absolutely handsome!"

I turned around to see my sister wearing her short white dress with her hair styled to an extreme. She looked rather stunning. "Thank you, Fizzy. You're going to be amazed when you see Alexa, though."

A small, wistful smile played on Fizzy's face. "Lexa is very beautiful, very beautiful indeed."

"I'll see you on the other side," I joked, and gave her a large hug. "Enjoy it!"

She kissed me on the cheek then went off to go do her thing and probably get out to the altar. The ceremony was due to start in only a few minutes, now.

"The coast is clear!" A voice exclaimed from my mother's office. "It's time!"

The double doors leading to the office opened, and the bridesmaids came out with their bouquets and Alexa followed with her veil on as well. "I can't believe this is actually happening," Alexa spoke, her voice drifting off in wonder.

Eleanor handed me a bouquet and the other bridesmaids and groomsmen came over to greet us. 

"Louis, you look… wow." 

I turned my head to meet eyes with my boyfriend, and my mouth opened slightly at how handsome he looked when he cleaned up a bit. "You look 'wow' as well," I said shyly, and he swooped in to steal a kiss.

"With the looks you've already been getting, I have a feeling I'm not going to be leaving your side," Harry joked. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his touch with a smile.

"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?"

We whirled around to see Eleanor and Cory, who were both standing with their arms crossed, which looked kind of creepy when they were giving the same knowing stare.

"You're just jealous I got the perfect guy, Calder," Harry laughed, giving Cory a clap on the back and Eleanor a hug. "Are you guys ready to strut your stuff?"

We laughed at him, causing a red tint to grow in his cheeks. "Whatever you say, frog face!"

Within minutes we were walking down the aisle and going off in our separate directions at the altar. Fizzy looked like she was going to pass out when she saw Alexa, which is something I hope that was caught on video.

The ceremony went by relatively quick, and before we knew it we were at the reception hall downtown.

"Are you okay, Louis? You seem a little off," my boyfriend commented as we were sitting at a table watching the happy couple take their first dance.

I smiled a bit then couldn't help myself when I frowned softly. "Does it ever seem like you are living life, and everything is just perfect? Like too perfect?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "No, what do you mean?"

I sighed, and tried to find a good way to explain this. "I've just had this feeling lately, and it doesn't feel right. Like I'm not where I'm supposed to be."

"Not where you're supposed to be?" Harry asked, his voice tight with worry. "Louis, you're scaring me."

I was about to reply, but a sudden headache took me out of my senses.

_"Come out, come out wherever you are, Louis Tomlinson."_

_"Found you, Louis."_

_"I wasn't finished with you last time. So now I have to start all over, and go back to the beginning. I was lucky enough to catch you with Harry Styles, the more the merrier, isn't that right, Louis?"_

I felt hands on my shoulders, and all I could see for a second was the worried eyes of my boyfriend. "Louis, what's going on? C'mon, talk to me."

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the migraine that had now settled into my head. "I’m gonna be sick," I choked, freeing myself from his grasp. I didn't have to look at him to see the look of pain on his face.

"Louis, wait-"

I practically ran to the bathroom, just trying to get away from all of the noise and commotion. Everything started to blur together, and I collapsed on the floor of the bathroom. My breathing started to become shorter and shorter; and before I knew it I was hyperventilating.

The pain in my head just kept on worsening.

_"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE!"_

_"Fizzy! You need to wake up, okay? Mommy wants us to come home!"_

_"Louis! Run!"_

_"He made me kill my stepmother."_

_"I trusted you, Tomlinson. I trusted you, and you didn't trust me."_

_"I just don't know what to do, Tomlinson. I just don't know what to do."_

The flashes were cut off by someone knocking on the door that I was leaning on. "Louis, open up?"

I grumbled something incoherently and leaned my head against the door.

"Louis, please open the door!"

I reached up and weakly opened the door and barely caught myself when someone forced the door open. I heard someone gasp and immediately felt arms around my waist and shoulders. I could smell a cool cologne and I knew that Harry was there with me.

Suddenly, the pain subsided, but the flashes continued on.

_"You're a great friend, Tomlinson. You're one of a kind."_

_"Woah! What happened to Kendall?"_

_"Well she’s pretty special, too."_

_"She broke up with you, didn't she?"_

_"Yeah, she did."_

_"But you still love her?"_

_"Yeah. Guess I do."_

_"So, I guess you have something worth fighting for, Styles."_

_"Do you have something worth fighting for, Tomlinson?"_

_A nod._

_"So who might that be?"_

_"Unfortunately for me, she died ten years ago."_

"Louis? Louis please answer me!"

"Oh my God, Louis! Styles, what happened to my brother?"

"I don't know, he just collapsed! Someone call an ambulance!"

I shook my head, I didn't want an ambulance. "No," I tried to say, waving my hand as if that were going to make the largest difference and call everything off.

"Louis, what happened?" Fizzy's worried voice echoed throughout my head.

_"Louis we need to get out of here!"_

"Louis, answer me!"

_"This is Door 21!"_

"Come on, Angel! Stay with us, okay? Just keep your eyes open." I smiled at Harry, or Styles, whatever I must be calling him in this dream.

"This isn't real, Styles," I muttered, closing my eyes. I needed to get out of here… I needed to get back to reality so I could get out… so I could see my Harry again.

"What the hell, Louis? Of course this is real!"

I somehow found a new strength inside of me and opened my eyes, meeting the eyes of my loved ones around me. "No, it's not, Styles. This is just a hallucination. A hallucination of my deepest desire… I should have known it was too perfect to be true."

Styles shook his head, his green eyes that I had come to miss so much begging for me to see what he was so rightfully seeing. "Louis, this is real. You and I are real. We are real."

_"What is Door 21, Fizzy?"_

_Fizzy's eyes widened and she looked around at the holes in the ceiling. "Door 21 is a bad place, Louis. That's why we need to get out of here!"_

_I nodded, and tried to look around for a way out. "Can't we just ask Nick if he would let us out? Why is it so important that we leave anyway? I like it in here. It's not as cold."_

_Fizzy put a hand on my shoulder. "Louis, this place makes you see things… it makes you see what you want most, and then it slowly-" her eyes widened when she looked at me, and she seemed to be looking for a better way to say something. "Look, this place makes you sleep forever like Sleeping Beauty! It puts you to sleep, and you never wake up again."_

_I nodded, understanding it now. "We fall asleep until our Prince wakes us up!"_

_A small smile cracked on Fizzy's face as she nodded and continued to look for a way out._

"Door 21," I muttered.

"Door what?" Styles asked, his voice disbelieving.

I shook my head at his dumbness and then held an arm out. "Help me up?"

He helped me up, too shocked to really do anything else. Fizzy and everyone else who had been around me were silent and looking at me in shock. I knew that they didn't know that I wasn't crazy, but it was my crazy hallucination that was looking at me right now.

I was starting to get that migraine again.

"Louis, what are you doing?" Styles asked as he and everyone else followed me to the wedding cake. But it wasn't the wedding cake that I was after- it was the knife.

_"How are we supposed to wake up? Does a Prince wake us up?"_

_Fizzy shook her head. "I don't think Nick would let a Prince wake us up, Lou. The only way to get out of the hallucination, or sleep, is to give up on your dream."_

_I looked at my older sister, bewildered at her answer. "How do you give up on a dream?"_

_"That's the hardest part."_

I was going to have to kill myself. 

I was going to have to give up on my dream.

I grabbed the knife and positioned it at my heart, and I felt a lone tear fall from my eye as I looked at everyone I loved. A small smile came to my face as I remembered that this would be the last time that I ever saw my sister.

She was shaking her head at me and her eyes were wide. "Louis, don't do this, please!" her arms were out as if she were about to pull me in for a hug that I knew I would never get again.

That's when I knew I couldn't hold the tears back any longer.

"Louis, don't do this, I love you," Styles said, his voice calm, but his eyes betrayed him. They were calling out for me like sirens begging me to leave my life behind and be with him.

And God did I want to.

"I love you, too," I told him, my voice cracking. "I was always too bullheaded to see it… but I love you so much, Styles."

A smile came onto his face. "Then put down the knife, Louis. Just put it down, and we can be together… forever."

I shook my head once again, and my grip on the knife tightened. "I can't," I sobbed. "I can't! You need me too much for me to be selfish! I need to save myself to save you, you need to understand that, Styles!"

Tears fell from his eyes and I felt like someone had already stabbed me in the heart. "Please, Louis. You're right, I need you! Just don't leave me!"

I shook my head. "I love you, Harry."

I gripped the knife and took a deep breath.

"NO!"

And then I plunged it into my chest.

All I saw was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! I uploaded on time. How rare.  
> I just finished my first month of school and it's been a little difficult, but this book is my outlet! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as me because I get so excited over this book.  
> Our boys talk again next chapter! Hope you're excited.  
> See y'all next week:)


	9. my little monkey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: Waterboarding, one mention of the word slut.  
> Enjoy :)

-Harry POV-

"What on earth are you guys talking about?" I asked, looking specifically at Louis's best friend, Eleanor Calder.

"Uh, Harry?" Zayn spoke, fiddling with his hands. "I think it would be best if we took this conversation elsewhere."

I looked over my shoulder to see a lot of eavesdroppers who had probably turned to look at the little group after I started to speak loudly. That could get someone's attention- especially in a small apartment like this one.

I nodded at Zayn, and didn't bother to hide my annoyance as I dragged them into the kitchen. A few of my mother's friends who I have probably only met once were gossiping in the kitchen, and sipping on wine.

"Would you ladies excuse us?" I asked, trying to charm my way out of the situation with a small smirk.

One of the women blushed, and they quickly scurried out of the area. "Well, Harry, sure seems like you haven't changed a bit," Briana Jungwirth joked, a small smile on her face.

I shook my head at her, and looked at my group of friends in sorrow. "I can assure you I really am not the same guy who you guys saw two months ago."

"Harry," Cory spoke, his voice slightly strained. "What the hell happened in there?"

My mouth opened, but I couldn't find the right words to come out. My heart rate sped up as I started to remember my own personal hell, and I wanted nothing but to run and avoid having to face my friends; but with some inhuman strength I stayed put.

"Harry can tell us what happened when he seems fit, don't you think, Cory?" Niall spoke, his voice diplomatic. His face was stony and unreadable, but I knew he saw that I was freaking out. I threw a small smile at him in thanks.

"I'll tell you guys what happened as soon as you guys tell me what happened to you," I said. "I mean, you all hated each other before Louis and I were taken, and now it seems that everyone's all buddy-buddy! What happened when I was gone?"

"Well, when you and Louis went missing all of us were in a frenzy," Eleanor explained, taking control. "We were being questioned by a dick of a detective-"

"And then Mr. Brunner came in and saved the day!" Zayn exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. I chuckled a bit at Eleanor's not-so-pleasant reaction.

"Anyway," Cory continued, "Mr. Brunner asked us to help figure out where this Nick guy was keeping you and Louis. So, basically we've all been working together to try and find you. Imagine our surprise when you were the one who found us."

I nodded slightly, trying to soak in all of this newfound information. "How close were you guys to finding Louis and I?"

Nick shrugged. "I'd say we were pretty close; I mean, we did find a motive and with that we found reasons that Nick would have wanted to kidnap you."

"Louis and I figured that since he had been kidnapped once before, Nick was after revenge. And of course, I had to be in the wrong place at the right time…"

Confusion swept across the group, who all shared looks with each other. Even a complete idiot like me could figure out that there was something they knew that I didn't. "What?"

"Harry, you guys weren't captured because of Louis… you were captured because of you," Kendall said softly, placing a hand softly on my shoulder.

I shook my head in disagreement. "No, Louis had been captured before by Nick. Nick even said that he had to finish what he started! He meant to capture him, not me. It wasn't my fault."

"It wasn't anyone's fault, Harry," Kendall comforted, her eyes wide with compassion.

"Styles, we found pictures of Louis's first kidnapping, and you were in them," Eleanor deadpanned. "Nick wanted to take you because of your father, but he took Louis instead because his sister cut in."

"That doesn't make any sense," I denied. I refused to accept what they were telling me… it changed everything.

"I know this is probably shocking, Styles, but you need to understand that Nick was actually after you the entire time. Even now, he's after you. There's a reason why he let you go so easily, and now together we need to figure out why," Eleanor said.

"You think my kidnapping was a diversion?" Kendall asked, turning to Eleanor. She retracted her hand from my shoulder and crossed his arms, obviously not having considered this angle before.

"I know it was a diversion. Nick is going to do something big, and we're running out of time to stop it," Eleanor concluded.

Cory stepped forward, raising a hand slightly. "But even if it was a diversion, Eleanor, what would it be a diversion for? I mean, Nick has been after Harry this entire time, so what might he do now that Harry's out of his grasp? What could he do?"

Chills started to run down my spine, and for some reason I thought of the old saying of someone dancing on your grave. My blood went cold as I thought about what Nick's ploy could be- what he could do to me even though he couldn't physically hurt me.

"Loyalty," I gasped out, grabbing for the kitchen counter beside me.

"What?" Cory asked. Everyone was looking at me in confusion, waiting for me to explain.

"Louis told me that I was just like Felicité, his sister. I am loyal to a fault… I would let the world burn to save a friend… that's what Nick's playing at."

"You're not making any sense-" Cory started, confusion obvious on his features.

"No," Liam cut him off. "This makes perfect sense. Nick uses Harry's loyalty for Louis against him, right?"

"Since when has Harry ever been loyal to Louis Tomlinson?" Zayn asked, his lack of filter feeling like a punch in my gut. Eleanor pushed him into the counter, a sort of fire filling her eyes that I had only seen when she was protecting her friends.

"Look, dumbass, isn't it obvious? Styles obviously came to his right state of mind and got close to Louis. Can't you see that it's killing him? Can't you see that being separated from him while he knows very well that Louis is the least deserving of that kind of torture is slowly killing him? I mean, God, I'm not even a friend of his and I can see that."

Everyone looked between Eleanor and I in shock, a revelation starting to spark in their eyes.

"Something obviously happened to the two of them while they were captured, and I don't really want to know what, but something happened and Nick is taking advantage of it."

A blush formed on my cheeks at her slight innuendo, but I kept my mouth shut. I knew that Eleanor had my back, and for some odd reason I could see why Louis bothered to keep her around all of these years. She can be a pretty cool person when she wants to be.

"We're kind of at a bad position because we don't know what Nick is going to do to Louis, and when it's going to happen. So we need to make sure that he is found; and fast," Cory spoke as though he was going through game plan before football on Friday nights.

"We could talk to my dad," I volunteered. "You did say that this had something to do with my father, so I guess we could start with him."

Everyone nodded in agreement and a small smile crossed Eleanor's face. "We can figure out why Nick might be after your father… and if we figure that out, we might figure out what Nick is fighting for and then we stop him from getting it."

Kendall slowly raised his hand. "So, uh, if we're going to go and talk to your father, when exactly are we supposed to do that?"

I pondered over that for a second, then shrugged. "Now, I guess."

"Now?" Briana and Niall asked in sync, and I held back my smile.

"Now."

"So, how are we supposed to get out of here during this party without your mother or Robin? Thought of that too, Styles?"

I turned to Eleanor and smiled, "Now I know why you and Louis are such good friends," I joked. "You both seem to think that I act on impulse all of the time. I can plan stuff too, you know."

She raised an eyebrow at me and gestured for me to continue. "Please, do enlighten me on your plan."

"We can get out of my house in the window right next to us leading to the fire escape. We can hop into a car and drive out to my father's business building, and then conference with him there."

"Who are you and what happened to Harry Styles?" Mitch asked jokingly.

"Yeah, seriously, dude?" Cory asked, clapping his shoulder. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but Eleanor kinda has a point with the whole impulsive thing."

I laughed and quickly wrote a note to my mother, explaining that I needed to go talk to Dad about something and that if she needed me, my cell phone was on. I mean, after being missing for two months I think it would be nice to let her know that I hadn't been taken again.

I could only imagine the stress that my mother went through…

"Harry, c'mon! Let's get going before business hours end!"

Grabbing my phone and a sweater, I hopped out the window and followed my friends, hoping to find some answers.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"You know you're going to have to face him one way or another?" Kendall asked, her voice soft and knowing. We were all standing in front of the building that held Desmond Incorporated, namely my father.

"I know."

I walked into the building, immediately having to stop myself from turning the other way and running right out of there. The official seal of the company was staring right at me, and directly below that was the receptionist desk.

I slowly walked towards the desk, carefully taking each step and reminding myself that I was only going to be talking to my father. It wasn't like I was going to be attacked or anything… my father loved me- he wouldn't do that to his own son.

But after finding out that he was in business with Nick's own father, I didn't know what to think anymore. I couldn't figure out who I was supposed to trust.

"May I help you?" The young woman behind the desk asked. Her hair was strawberry blonde, and she had bright blue eyes. She seemed nice enough, I guess. But obviously she had to be new to not recognize me.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I would be able to speak with Desmond?" I asked, holding my hands behind my back in confidence.

The receptionist's eyebrows furrowed a bit, and she started working on her computer for a few seconds before turning to me. Her nice expression was replaced with a serious one as she spoke, "I'm afraid there are no appointments for someone to meet with him this hour. Sorry if you had been mistaken."

My eyebrows raised. I can't say that this ever happened to me before. "Could you call him quickly? Let him know Harry is here to speak with him."

She raised an eyebrow at me, slightly shocked at my aura of confidence. "I'm not allowed to phone him unless it's an emergency, kid. So I suggest you take your little band of friends and hop on out of here. I have enough things I need to take care of, and you are not one of them."

I held back a laugh, but the smile remained on my face. "I guess I'll have to call him myself."

The receptionist smiled at me, and gestured for me to continue. "Please, amuse me."

Wordlessly I took out my cell phone, and called my father- a number I don't find myself calling very often. I heard my friends snicker behind me, and I could only imagine the look on the receptionist's face when she found out the truth.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

I sighed into the phone. "Why does there have to be something wrong every time I call you?"

Laughter came through on the other end of the phone. "I can't tell you how much I missed your witty humor, son. So, what can I do for you?"

I smiled, shooting a look at the receptionist who was staring at me with a bored expression. "Why do you think I want something all the other times I call you? Am I really that obvious?"

My father chuckled on the other end. "Unless you've called me to say hello, which I doubt is the case, what is it that you want, Harry?"

"I am actually in the lobby of your building right now, and I was wondering if you'd give the receptionist notice that I can actually go up. She’s being quite annoying about not letting a band of kids up onto your floor."

The receptionist's eyes narrowed when I mentioned her, and she glared. I couldn't help but smile sarcastically at her in response.

"Ah, I do believe she's new. I'll buzz you in, and you can come on up."

"Thanks, Dad."

The receptionist's eyes widened as she heard my side of the conversation. "Dad?" she asked. I just nodded, and leaned against the desk into more of a comfortable kind of posture.

"Dad's going to buzz me and my friends in," I told her, just as the red light went on behind her, showing that my father was ready for his guest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry… I didn't know you were related to him, I mean, I just started last week and-"

"Don't worry about it," I laughed. "You were only doing your job, so Dad's pleased to hear that you wouldn't just let a stranger to in to see him."

The blonde receptionist blushed, and some stress left her face which quickly was graced with a smile as he was gestured to move on and speak to his father. "Sorry, again."

The others couldn't hold back their laughter anymore when they had the confidentiality of the elevator and I pushed the number 18 to get to the top floor, where my father so eloquently put his office and multiple meeting rooms.

"Harry, I can't believe you can go from groveling in your sorrows to charming the receptionist in one day," Cory said, his voice not hiding his amusement. "I mean, that takes some serious skill."

"Cory, you're an asshole," Eleanor spoke, her annoyance obvious. "He just did what he had to do to get to his father, nothing too impressive or charming about it."

For some reason I felt better when Eleanor said that. I kind of felt like I was cheating by getting the receptionist to do what I wanted by flirting, but I didn't really know on who or why.

"Hey Harry, do you think your dad is going to give us the information we need?" Briana asked, leaning against the rail that ran across the elevator.

"To be honest, I don't know what is going to happen. I mean, it’s news to me that my father is involved in this at all," I admitted.

"Well, let's hope that this all goes good and let's leave it at that, okay?" Niall spoke, crossing his arms. "None of us can afford to think differently."

The elevator stopped and chimed, then opened the door. We walked into the level, and I could tell the others were shocked at what they were seeing. There were fish tanks everywhere, with different fish taken either from the amazon or the various rivers and lakes in the United States.

We were completely surrounded by glass windows and glass walls so everything could be monitored throughout the entire floor. The only room that had filmed glass was my father's office, which could be necessary at times, I guess.

I quickly walked forward to the office, and knocked on the door. There was silence for a split second then I heard my father's voice, "Come in, Harry!"

I opened the door and waltzed in with a smile on my face. My father stood up and gave me a large hug, holding me for a few seconds before pulling back with a huge smile on his face. "I'm glad to see you've gotten a lot stronger since I've last seen you! You seem a lot healthier, which is very good."

"Thanks, Dad."

His eyes flickered from me to behind me and his smile changed, reminding me of why I was here. "I see you brought your friends, as well. I take it this is some sort of business visit?"

I raised my eyebrows at his validity. "We came for information on someone that we believe could help us figure out where Nick is still keeping Louis- or at least why he has kidnapped Louis and I. We have a few questions that need to be answered, Dad."

He raised an eyebrow, looking at me knowingly. "What if I tell you that all of this is too dangerous and ask you to leave?"

I raised my chin in defiance. "I would respect your opinions, of course, but I believe that this situation had been dangerous ever since I was kidnapped two months ago."

My father nodded, his face unreadable. "If your mother finds out about what I'm about to do, she'll kill me. So please, do refrain from telling your mother that I helped you on this little quest of yours. Surely you understand the poor position I am at, here."

I nodded, a smile coming to my face when I realized that he was giving in. "I won't tell Mom, I promise."

My father smiled at me, then at my friends, and clapped his hands together. "Great! Please follow me to one of our meeting rooms."

We walked with him to the room closest to us that looked like a classic meeting room. There was a long table that almost stretched across the entire room, with chairs that lined the sides and one on the heads of the table. It easily fit our little band of misfits, which was a lot better than my father's office.

There was a smart board on one side of the room, while there were six TV's in rows of twos on the other side. It was quite an interesting set up, and I was amazed to be here with my father, none of the less.

My father took his place on the head of the table, and stood there as he waited for the rest of us to take our seats. I sat to his right, and Eleanor sat to his left, and then on the boys and girls were quite hilariously separated.

"So, what are those questions you wanted to ask me?" My father asked, unbuttoning the front of his suit coat as he sat down in front of us.

"Well, we would like to know more about George Grimshaw, sir," Eleanor spoke. "He is Nick Grimshaw's father, the man who kidnapped Harry and Louis. We found out that he worked in your company before he died, and that's when Nick kidnapped for the first time. There might be some carry over, and we were wondering what you thought on the situation."

My father's face turned grave, and he pressed a button below his spot at the table, causing blinds to go across the glass that connected our room to the rest of the floor. He was obviously used to this kind of interrogation by the look on his face.

"How did you find out about that, Eleanor?"

"I, uh, I kinda hacked into your server," Mitch admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We realize that hacking is a complete violation of your personal space and property," Briana continued. "And that you probably don't want to help us after this, but please know that we were just trying to find out where our friends were."

"Why would you all tangle yourself up for my son and Mister Tomlinson? Why would you risk your lives for theirs?" My father asked, a pensive look shrouding his face.

Cory spoke up, "They've helped us a lot in the past, sir. I guess we all owe them so much that there wasn't really a choice to make. We needed to help them, and that was it."

My father nodded, a small smile coming onto his face. "You care about my son, just as I do. And my son cares for this Louis, just as I cared for Anne. So, I believe that I should tell you what I know, based on what has been explained to me, of course."

I smiled at my father, who winked at me. "Where must I start?" He asked.

"Start at the beginning, Dad. Who was George Grimshaw, and how might his death connect to Nick's activities?" I gestured for him to speak, and suddenly his face changed to being all business, startling me a bit.

"George Grimshaw was a liar and a thief, but he was a great friend and a good father. He cared for his family, and cared for his business. He was helping me with many projects, so it was hard not to trust him, as he had put his faith in me. And I admired that," He spoke, a faraway look in his eyes.

"His son, Nick, was a different story altogether. Nick strove for power, and he wished to control people, not diplomatically handle business with them. What Nick wanted was the recreation of a business tycoon that would control all of New York, just like in the past.

"Somehow he planned to do this without the government knowing, without all of us knowing. The child was going to overthrow my ranks at Desmond INC. and was going to infiltrate the businesses around that weren't as powerful as mine. It would be a complete disaster."

"So how do you know about this now if you didn't know about it before?" Liam asked, coming out from the shadows. "Somehow I doubt Nick told you all of this himself."

My father chuckled and nodded, "George knew of Nick's faults far before anyone else. As a father, he tried to parent Nick out of these destructive decisions, but as a businessman, George knew that he needed to do something. With my help, George deployed an inside man to keep an eye on his son. For a month it was great, but soon George was murdered, and it was framed on my company. I knew who the culprit truly was. It was Nick."

"So who is this 'inside man' that you were talking about?" I asked. "Do you think he's still keeping an eye on Nick?"

"After the first kidnapping of Louis Tomlinson, I lost contact with him. It seemed as though he disappeared of the face of the earth."

We all nodded, and the breath that all of us had seemingly been holding was let out. We didn't learn anything that could directly save Tomlinson, but we learnt what Nick's true intentions were. It seems as though everything has been adding up after all.

"That explains why Nick has been after Harry," Eleanor concluded. "Harry's the heir to Desmond INC., if he messes Harry up, he messes the whole business up, allowing him to swoop in and take control."

"Damn," Cory cursed, running a hand through his hair. "What a messed up son of a-"

"He is 'messed up', Mr. Calder. But I doubt speaking about it to those who already know will do you any good," My father spoke, an eyebrow raised pointedly at him.

I took that moment to speak, "We should really bring this information to the FBI. If they combine what we have with what information and equipment that they have, we might be closer to finding Louis."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and I passed the business card from the agents to Eleanor. "Call them, and tell them that we have some information that they might want to hear," I told her.

She nodded, and walked out of the conference room, and the rest of us decided to take our leave and follow her, but I was stopped with a hand on my shoulder.

"Harry, I want you to know something," My father spoke, his voice low.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Should I go and grab the others, or…"

My father shook his head. "No, this is a conversation for you and me. I need you to understand that I don't blame you for what happened while you were in confinement. I don't blame you for Samantha’s death, son."

My eyes bugged out of my head. "You don't?" I asked dumbly.

"Of course I don't. The truth is, the two of us only married for a business deal. There wasn't any passion, love, or anything. Just business."

I looked at him in confusion. "Is this supposed to make me feel better? Because to be honest, I don't think it's really working."

"No, that is not the reason at all for why I am telling you this. It is because I know that you care for Louis Tomlinson, Harry. You care for him as I have cared for your mother… but don't let him go. I let your mother go, and that was the worst decision I had ever made in my life. Don't let Louis go, Harry."

My eyes widened and I nodded, and suddenly I was pulled into a hug. "Now do me a favor, and go find him."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After talking to my father, we headed down to the local police headquarters where the FBI agents were stationed. They were pleased to hear that we had more information, and they were happy to know that we were on our way.

Eleanor and Cory were basically the two who told the story about what happened when I was kidnapped, and the information they found trying to find Louis and I, so I just sat in quiet and listened to a story that I've already heard multiple times.

As I let my mind wander, I kept coming back to what my father said. He obviously knew my feelings for Louis went deeper than just the typical friendship, but what shocked me was that he thought they went even deeper than that.

I knew I messed up big time with him, but what I can't believe is that my father would actually think that I love him! I hardly even know the guy, and somehow I'm supposed to have feelings for him? Somehow I'm supposed to love him?

But somehow I know that what my father said was in fact the truth, and that I did care for Louis Tomlinson in a way that could only be described as love.

I love him.

I love Louis Tomlinson.

A huge smile came to my face as I remembered how beautiful he is, and how easy it is to talk to him. Our relationship was a good one, and once I apologize, I believe that we might have a shot. My smile faltered when I remembered that Louis said ‘He will never love me,’ in the video Kendall showed me. My smile came back when I had faith I would find him and tell him I love him so much. 

"What are you smiling about, Styles?" Eleanor whispered over to me while Cory was finishing up explaining our evidence. "You look stupid, stop it."

"Sorry, I just realized something important," I admitted, trying to calm myself down, and my smile only became half as big as it was before.

"Well, stop smiling and pay attention, Styles. Apparently they have a lot of information about Nick that we had no idea about! Did you know that you were stuck in an abandoned factory? They found the same residue on your body that they found on Louis ten years ago, too!"

"I could have told you that one," I laughed.

"Shut up, Styles. I'm just excited about the idea that we might actually be able to find Louis, so shut your trap and listen in."

Agent Charleston and Palmer were talking about the type of area they believed Nick to be camping out in, which I also kind of zoned out from. I didn't really care to know what type of soil surrounded the place with mercury levels and all that other stuff.

I just wanted to find Louis, already.

All of the sudden, someone's ringtone went off, and we all went silent. Eleanor quickly grabbed her cell and apologized to the two agents before answering it with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"Hello, this is Eleanor speaking."

Someone said something on the other line, and Eleanor's face went white.

"Styles … it's for you."

She wordlessly handed me the cellphone, her eyes wide and her face pale. I held it up to my ear in anticipation.

_"S-Styles? You there?"_

"Louis?"

-Louis POV-

I became conscious to the feeling of cold. It was numbing and painless, almost as if it were healing me from hurt and injury. My brain felt numb when I tried to think or even as I tried to do the simple task of opening my eyes. It felt as if there were ten pound weights on each lid, shielding me from the terrors that awaited me.

But I was not a coward. I would have to face my fears and open my eyes to the life that I never wanted- the life I wish I never have had to live. I needed to be brave, I needed to be like my sister.

My eyes opened to a shade of white. It was extremely white, the kind of white that you would classify as clean and proper. The kind that was pure, untouched, and unscathed. But I knew differently. The white was calming, but soon it would be tainted and marked.

After all, this was the calm before the storm.

I felt my arms being restrained, and looked down to find myself sitting in a cold steel chair with my arms and legs strapped down. It was something you would see in one of those horror movies, and I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to die.

"Well, well, well. Look at who we have here?" The door had opened and revealed the man who had tried to kill me just minutes before.

"Oh, go to hell, Nick," I rasped, my voice weak from misuse.

“There's that spunk that I was hoping had died along with your happiness in Door 21. Actually, I was hoping that you would die as well," Nick spoke, walking to stand in front of me. "Tell me, what was your dream? What will you never have? What will haunt you for the rest of your life?"

I glared at him, but slowly felt my resolve weakening from the thought of never being able to see Fizzy again, or see my parents happily married. But there was still hope for me and my friends. There was still hope to see Styles again.

"Should I guess? Oh, I'm going to guess! Your sister was probably there. She was probably very happy in a very Felicité-like way. She probably was even dating her little slut! What was her name? Alexa? Oh, yes. Felicité begged me not to kill her. But I guess that made me want to do it even more." 

Anger and sadness built up inside me. I tugged as hard as ever, trying to free myself to give this asshole a piece of my mind. However, I couldn't hold back the tears that started to stream down my face.

"I made her choose, you know," Nick's voice dropped to a whisper. "I made her choose between you and her dear Alexa. It nearly broke her to have to see Alexa be gunned down by one of my men. It was quite the sight, so to say."

I shook my head at him, my face wet from tears. "You are a monster."

"Oh, that doesn't even put in a dent in what I am, Lou. And you know what? I'm even willing to bet that you saw your parents happy and together in your dream. Isn't that right? Felicité used to think the same way. But well, what happened to her was the inevitable."

"You killed her, Nick. How is that inevitable? You are sick. I'm going to be the one to kill you."

Nick's icy blue eyes widened for a split second before narrowing. "That's a lot of talk for someone tied up in a chair, dearie."

"I'll take my fucking chances."

Nick turned away from me, and I saw his shoulders move as if he were taking a deep breath. I knew it was really getting to him that he wasn't able to get to me. It was if he was turning on himself instead of ruining me.

He turned back around to face me, and I was surprised at the mischievous look on his face. "You know all this talk about how your sister chose you, how she chose death over the thought of hurting you… it reminds me of something, Lou."

All of the sudden the evil glint in his eye had returned and I felt my heart drop to my stomach. It seemed as though he was just as stubborn as I was.

"Go to hell." I silently cursed myself at how I let my emotions shine through in my voice.

"Gladly. But I do believe that I was speaking, dearie. You see, you compared your sister to your dear Styles, and I just have to think that after the previous events, you couldn't have been more wrong!"

I felt a slight stinging in my eyes as Nick continued, "It is a disgrace that you compare Harry Styles to Felicité Tomlinson, Lou. Harry Styles left you to rot, he left you to die to run off with some lost love that had broken up with him a few months ago. All you are to him is the rebound, dearie. You mean nothing to him, and you and I both know that."

A single tear fell from my eyes as I recounted what Styles had done to me. He did leave me to die. He knew that, I knew that. He willingly left me to save himself and Kendall.

"Now tell me my dear, my sweet Louis. Tell me that I have won… tell me that I have finally made you break, because we both know that answer to that question, don't we?"

I couldn't help but think about the last words that Styles had said to me. They were out of anger, out of spite. Styles made his decision to leave me out of those same ordeals. And I know him well enough to understand that when he's angry, he doesn't always make the wisest decisions. Hell, even when he's perfectly normal he doesn't make the best decisions.

And I cannot persecute myself for the decisions that he made when he was angry at me, ignoring the probable reality of his words.

"Nick, you are never going to win," I looked him in the eye. "You are never going to be able to beat me, whether I am alive or not, because I am stronger than you."

Nick's steely eyes widened for a second before narrowing. "I guess I am going to need to use different measures. Jasper, please get Louis ready for his next little session."

A large, burly man with blonde hair and pale skin walked over to me and hit a switch on the back of my chair, causing it to unfold and the next thing I knew I was facing the ceiling, lying on my back.

"What the hell is this?" I exclaimed, trying to somehow maneuver out of the confines of the table. "Answer me!"

Nick walked over to me, a sickening smile on his face. He leaned down so that we were only mere inches apart. "Because you didn't break with my usual course of action doesn't mean I won't try new things, dearie," he leaned back into a comfortable stance. "You see, Jasper here is an expert at a particular kind of torture," he paused. "Waterboarding."

It felt as if my heart had leapt to my throat and my breathing started to become ragged. "Are you out of your mind? You could kill me!"

Nick just laughed, and I knew that wasn't good for me.

Tears started streaming down my face as the table was leaned down and my face was covered with a towel. "Please… please don't."

Nick took the towel off enough of my face for him to see my eyes. "Are you going to admit your defeat?"

I glared at him, and knew that if I did tell him he won, he would probably do this anyway. Then, since he didn't need me anymore for his sick sense of pleasure, he would kill me. I wasn't going to answer that question.

Nick sighed, then turned to Jasper. "Carry on, then."

The towel immediately was put back on my face, and I waited for the torture to start. It came with a sense of dread, and the cold water immediately went through the towel, and when I couldn't hold my breath anymore, I couldn't help but start to choke.

The sounds that came from my mouth were terrible, but the pain that emitted from my chest was even more so. It felt as though an elephant was weighing down on my lungs, and I knew that I was drowning to death.

So this is how I would die. 

How anticlimactic. 

After what felt like hours, though was probably only for a few minutes, the water stopped coming, and I struggled and coughed and gasped for air. My eyes felt as though they were bulging out of my head, and I felt my body's fight or flight reflexes kick in as I struggled even harder than before to get out of the restraints.

"Will you admit your defeat yet?" Nick's voice mocked from above me.

I merely struggled even more on the restraints, trying to find a way to knock the smile I knew was probably on his face.

"No? Well, carry on, Jasper."

The water came again, and I found it harder and harder to keep my resolve. I felt myself start to get light headed, and the black of the towel started to get even darker, and that is when the water would stop, and I would be left waiting for the next string of water to come.

I felt as though I was going to die, and oddly enough, it didn't scare me. That is why I was able to last for such a long time. I wasn't afraid to die, because I had already lost everything that I cared about. 

But one thing was for sure, I wasn't going to die after giving Nick what he wanted.

"Nick, we need to stop," A voice came through. "He has been under this for so long I think if we do it again he will die, and that's not what you want yet, right?"

There was nothing but silence for a long period of time, and my muscles tighten as I waited for another douse of water, and I could barely comprehend anything as I waited for my death.

"Enough, then. Bring him back to his cell, and we can move on to something else first thing tomorrow morning."

The towel was lifted off my face, and I squinted at the light that hit my eyes. "I guess we're going to have to move to some more painful methods, Lou." Nick said, his eyes burning with hatred. He leaned in, his lips touching my ear. "But I am going to win. And then I am going to kill you myself."

There was a sharp pain in my neck, and then nothing.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and looked around. The leaves were changing, and Central Park has never looked more beautiful. I am walking alone now, but I am happy and content. I think about the birds and their chirping, the squirrels and how they are starting to become braver while coming up to humans.

I see a lot of families, coming out to the park to maybe have lunch together, or feed the ducklings. Maybe they are simply tourists, and are enjoying the simplicity of the park in the middle of the big city. The opportunities are seemingly endless.

I feel a sharp pang in my chest at the thought that I never got to come here with my family as a child, and imagine myself, decades younger, having a picnic with my siblings and mother and father. All of us, ready to take on the challenges ahead.

But that never happened, and I have made peace with it.

I cannot relish in the old, whilst I can create the new… and that is why I am here.

"Daddy!"

I turn around to see my moon and stars running up to me, her arms outstretched as she came in for a hug. I dropped my bag by my feet softly on the grass and prepared myself for her weight.

"Hi, my little monkey!" 

She squealed, and I laughed, her joyful bell-like voice laughing. 

She jumped onto me, and wrapped her legs around my waist, and her arms around my neck. I laughed as she squealed in joy, and my heart warmed knowing her joy was because she was with me.

After a small moment, she pulled away just enough for our eyes to meet. Her beautiful green eyes met my blue ones and my breath was taken away. Our princess was adopted, but she looked too much like Haz and I for her not to be our kid. 

"Papa let me have ice cream this morning," she whispered, her eyes wide in innocence. "But don't tell Papa I told you because I made a promise not to."

I couldn't help but giggle at her innocent face, but I knew that I was going to have to kick (or kiss) some sense into my husband later. "You should never break Papa’s promises, Pumpkin."

She groaned, and threw her head back. "I'm sorry Daddy! I just wanted to share!"

"Share? Share what? I want a piece!" A voice exclaimed from behind me.

"Papa!"

I felt arms wrap around my waist and I smiled as I could smell the musk rolling off of him in waves. He kissed me softly on the top of my head, and I smiled at the affection.

"Ew Daddy! Don't kiss Papa in front of me!"

He immediately retracted his arms from around me and grabbed our little girl from my arms before attacking her face with kisses and making her scream with laughter. "Daddy! Papa stop! Daddy help!"

I just continued to laugh at the sight of the two most important people in my world drawing attention from others. "Okay, enough you two. You're making a scene."

My husband looked over to me, a smirk on his face and his green eyes gleaming with mischief. "Whatever you say, Louis." He saluted me, and nudged his mini-me beside him, and she did it too.

"Whatever you say, Daddy."

"Okay, you two, we need to hustle if we're going to make it to meet up with Auntie Eleanor, and who knows? Maybe Uncle Cory and Auntie Briana will be there too!"

My daughter pumped a fist in the air, something that she caught on to from her other father.

I grabbed her fist in my hand and picked up the bag that I dropped, and started to walk to my best friend's apartment, which is really more like a condo than an apartment. My little moon and stars looked up at me and gave a toothy grin, and I looked over at my husband who had her other hand.

He gave me a smile that could bring tears to my eyes, and mouthed, "I love you."

I mouthed it back with a smile, and he replied with a grin that could only belong to him: 

Harry Styles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monday is Larry Day! I'm so excited, Harry is in Italy filming the Golden music video and it's said to release next week, so I'm manifesting it happening on the 28th. Nothing's probably going to happen, but a girl can hope!  
> This chapter is near to my heart because I can so see Harry and Louis letting their kid eat ice cream for breakfast.  
> Once I finish this book, I might go back and make Spotify playlists for each chapter. That seems complicated, but we'll see.  
> Next chapter is the most intense chapter. Prepare yourselves and your tissues!  
> After next week's update, I might not post for a couple weeks- I'm working on another book! I'll see how my schedule works out.  
> For now, I'll see you next week!


	10. insiders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers- Death.  
> Sorry!

"Hey, wake up!"

My eyes shot open to be staring face to face with one of Nick's goons. I let out a little shriek, unable to contain my shock. The man was extremely built, but something told me that he wasn't here to hurt me.

"Woah, calm down, Mister Tomlinson. My name is JC Caylen, and I'm here to help you."

My eyes widened, and my brain was still a little fuzzy from the dream I just had. "Wait, what?"

The man chuckled, and leaned back away from me. "I'm going to help get you out of here, mister."

I nodded, and squinted at him, and then paused for a second. "Wait, how do I know that you're not working for Nick? How do I know that this isn't some sort of trick?"

The man gave a cheeky grin, and I knew that if Harry was here, they would be able to get along just fine. "Well, maybe if I tell you why exactly I'm here it will clear some things up?"

I nodded, then gestured for him to continue. He smiled shortly before continuing, "I've been working for Nick's father, George-"

"But George is dead," I smartly pointed out.

"I know, Mister Tomlinson. Will you let me tell you, or not?"

I blushed and then decided to not make a fool out of myself, so I nodded for him to continue. "I've been following Nick for years, ever since George got this idea that Nick was going to try and overthrow him. So when Nick ordered the hit on his father and killed him, I knew that I needed to continue the investigation, and hopefully not let it go too far."

I looked at him confusedly. "What were you investigating?"

"I was investigating Nick's moves to take over Desmond's business. You do know who Desmond is, don't you?"

I nodded, "Harry’s father, and probably the richest man in the world," I offered.

JC gave a small smile before adding, "And probably one of the most powerful too. If Nick Grimshaw were to take over that business, it could be catastrophic. George knew the vengefulness of his own son, and knew what he was planning to do. Your sister did as well, and that is why they are both not with us anymore."

"So Nick wants to take over Desmond Inc.? That's it?" I asked, annoyed to see that Nick's plan was really only so simple.

"Yeah, a psychopath wants to take over the single most powerful company in the globe. This could be the linchpin that destroys the very fabric of reality, and what we know. Hell, there's no telling what he would do in that position of power."

"He could easily become part of the government, and that would be no good," I admitted, looking down at my hands. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Your sister stopped Nick from kidnapping Harry Styles all those years ago. So instead, Nick captured you and got Felicité to come and try and rescue you, leading to her demise. Nick is indeed a psychopath, so he took it to extreme measures. He wanted your sister to suffer, and now he wants you to suffer because you were the one that got away."

"That's very annoying."

JC nodded. "I agree, Mister Tomlinson. But now we need to figure out a way of how to get out of here."

I nodded in agreement, and leaned myself against the wall. "I don't suppose you have any ideas, do you, JC?"

He threw me a white smile, and his dark eyes glinted with a bit of excitement. "Yeah, I got a few ideas. In my opinion, this place should burn to the ground. Me and a few other guys who I got to help us have come up with a few ways to make that happen."

"Do you have any explosives?" I asked, starting to think about all the possible ways this may work. "And how long do we have? I assume the rest of your shift, which is what? Four hours?"

JC nodded, his eyes widening. "I was told you were smart, but I have to apologize because I believe I just witnessed genius. You kept track of the shifts?"

I nodded. "Why do you think the shift times change so often?"

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "Well, I'm glad I have you on my side. So, about those explosives; one of my guys will be getting those and we will set them up on load bearing walls. But before we blow this bitch, I'm going to have to get you out of here and safe."

I shook my head. "Not before I give Nick a taste of his own medicine."

I looked at him with strong eyes, and I saw the resolve of him getting me out of here slowly fade away. JC isn't dumb enough to try and convince me otherwise. "Okay, okay. But first, I have a phone, you know. Because now I have no guarantees whether or not you'll get out alive, I'll let you make some calls… say goodbye."

"I'm not condemning myself to death, JC. It's just… he kept me here for so long, and he killed my sister and others that I care about. I'm not letting the courts decide whether or not he's guilty. He made it personal."

"You're going to have to live with his death for the rest of your life, you know."

"I'm going to have to live with it either way."

JC nodded, and I could see that he was stunned at the wisdom of my words. He wordlessly handed me a satellite phone, before got up and walked to the doorway. "You got five minutes."

I took a deep breath and looked down at the phone in my hands before quickly dialing a number I know by heart.

_"Hello, this is Eleanor speaking."_

I let out a choked sob at the sound of my best friend's voice.

"Eleanor?" I asked, and I heard nothing but silence on the other end. I took it that she heard me. "Eleanor, I need you to give the phone to Harry. I'm sorry, but there's something he needs to know."

 _"Styles… It's for you."_ I heard on the other end of the phone. I smiled a bit knowing that he was with my friends… that everyone was together.

"H-Harry? You there?" I asked, my voice hoarse from the sobs that I was choking down my throat.

_"Louis?"_

I couldn't help the tears that slipped through my ducts. "Oh my God, Harry, I'm so sorry, I should have never kept that from you, I'm so sorry that I betrayed your trust, and oh God, I'm just so sorry!"

 _"Louis… please, it's okay, I know why you did it… and God, please tell me you're okay. Tell me that you're okay and that you got out…"_ I took a deep breath to compose myself. He knew what happened, and he knew that I did it to save him, and that's all that matters right now. _"Louis, please talk to me."_

"I'm not out of here, Harry. I'm still stuck, but guess what? There's an inside man, you know. He worked for George, and now he's kind of working for your father. I met with him and now we're going to end this once and for all."

_"No, no ending anything for you, Lou. I want you to get the hell out of there and come home, okay? I need you, remember, I need you so you need to come back to me."_

"I made you promise something, Harry. Do you remember that? I made you promise to never give up, even if something happens to me. I need you to keep that promise, Styles."

I heard a sob come from him, and that only caused more tears to stream down my cheeks. _"Louis, please just… just stay alive, okay? That promise goes both ways- never give up, Louis."_

"I need to end this, Harry, you know that."

_"But why does it need to be you?"_

I sighed, and rubbed the tears off of my face, and looked up to see a solemn looking JC telling me to wrap it up. "You know why, Harry. And I need to go… I just… I just wish I was there with you, you know?"

_"Please promise me that you will be alive, Louis. I need you to promise me that."_

"Harry, I got to go."

_"Louis-"_

"I'm sorry."

I hung up.

JC walked over to me, a sympathetic look on his face. "He's right, you know," he spoke.

I quickly wiped at the tears that stained my cheeks, suddenly embarrassed at how weak I was being. "You were listening," I said, sighing to myself. "Why do you think he was right?"

JC shrugged, his large shoulders looking kind of odd slumped down. "You don't have to die, you know. Mister Styles is right. You have a choice, Mister Tomlinson. You have the choice to live, which is a choice not everyone has. So why don't you take it?"

I clenched my jaw while glaring hard at the soft ground underneath me. "After everything that monster has done to me and my family, I need to do something about it. I can't live with knowing that Nick could possibly escape, and that he would be plotting for his revenge the rest of my life. That's not living, JC."

The large, burly man sighed, and clasped his calloused hands together in what I recognized as defeat. He kneeled down to where I had positioned myself against the wall and stared at me straight in the eye. "If you want to live, go ahead and live. But don't subject yourself to being a martyr, not because of what happened to you."

Tears threatened to escape my eyes. "Why can't this all just be over?"

A small smile formed on his darkened lips. "It will be soon if we get a move on. You wanna go blow this place up with me, Mister Tomlinson?"  
He stood up to full height and held a hand out for me to take. 

"Of course I do, Mister Caylen," I answered, a teasing smile finding its place across my lips. "So where exactly are we going to get these explosives from? This building isn't going to go down with just a small amount of C4, you know."

The mischievous glint came back in his eyes, and I narrowed my eyes at him, seeing that I was obviously in the dark about something. "I have a surprise for you, Mister Tomlinson. You and I aren't the only two in this building that don't want Nick to succeed."

I looked at him curiously, a small smile finding its way onto my face. "You mean that there's more than just a few of you?"

He chuckled. "I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be. So we need to get to the control room and find the blueprints of this place so we can figure out what walls we need to break down to get the maximum amount of damage."

I gulped, thinking about the last time I was put into the control room. They weren't exactly the most pleasant of memories. But you gotta do what you gotta do. "We should get going then," I decided, and made a move to stand.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to get up onto my feet, and I finally allowed myself to realize just how weak I was. I have been hit in the head, drugged, barely fed, and held in captivity for probably what was months. I was going to have some serious health issues after this.

I saw JC look at me out of pity from the corner of my eye, and he quickly got up and made a move to help me as well, but as soon as he laid a hand on me I shoved him off. "No, I'm good," I grounded out, and finally was able to gain my balance on two bambi-like wobbly legs.

He simply raised an eyebrow and spoke, "And you expect to be able to take Nick out while you're in this kind of shape? Are you out of your mind?"

I shrugged. "I never said I was going to be the one to man-handle him. That's your job," I said matter-of-a-factly. "You want to protect me? You are going to have to get Nick into a position for me to do what is necessary, okay?"

I glared at him with my startling grey eyes and smirked when I saw him nod in reassurance. "I guess I'll help you. He did kind of kill my boss and all, so…"

I rolled my eyes at him trying to crack a joke that really wasn't all that funny, reminding me of someone that I've come to know really well.

"Let's go."

He walked out of the cell first, and turned to make sure I was following. It took me a few steps to gain back my bearings, and a part of me wondered if my cerebellum had been knocked one too many times. "I'm coming, don't worry about me."

He answered with a small laugh before holding out his gun, which looked like one of those M14's that the military and federal agents have access to use, and I couldn't help but let a glimmer of hope shine through. I might just make it after all.

All of the sudden, JC stopped, and held out a hand to make sure I did the same. "Some of Nick's goons are off schedule," he whispered to me, then cocked his gun to take aim.

"No, wait," I said quietly, grabbing his arm that held the gun. "If you take a shot, then you're letting everyone know that there's something going on, and that's the last thing we need."

He silently nodded then turned around and grabbed my arm, leading me down a different hallway. "Looks like we're going to have to take a detour."

We quickly made our way to the control room without any other issues, me sometimes stumbling or losing my footing, so I was lucky that JC was paying attention or I would have probably face-planted a few too many times.

We got to the control room, where I was met face to face with someone that I knew was going to haunt me in my dreams. "Oh, hey, Jasp," JC said, oblivious to my horror. "Did you find those documents yet?"

Jasper, the very same Jasper that Nick had torture me, was standing there with what looked like blueprints in his arms. He obviously hadn't changed one bit, but the look on his face was completely different, a look of ease rather than the fierce tension that had been permanently etched into my brain.

"Yeah, I got the files we need to condemn that son of a bitch. As soon as you give me the okay I will send them to every federal database I can find. Nick is a goner for sure."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The guy who deliberately hurt me, made me suffer, is actually on my side? How does this work?

Jasper seemed to notice my unease as he looked at me with an uncomfortable face. "I-Uh, I'm sorry for what I did to you earlier… I hope you know that I was just making sure I still had Nick's trust."

I nodded, not being able to find any other words to say. I found myself able to forgive him, as Jasper had only done what he did so that we could stop Nick. But at the same time I know I will never forget what had happened to me. It was the closest to death I had ever been, and that's something that a person just can't forget.

Every time I close my eyes I feel like I'm back on the table being drowned with water pouring over the towel. Tears stung the back of my eyes just thinking about it.

"Mister Tomlinson? Are you alright?"

The voice of concern threw me from my thoughts. I was surprised to see that it was Jasper who voiced his concern rather than the man who had brought me there, but at the same time it helped a little to know that Jasper wasn't completely a bad person.

"I'm fine," I said stiffly. "We need to look at those building plans now."

Both Jasper and JC’s eyes widened at the detachment I spoke with, but the look I threw them obviously made them think twice about speaking up about it. Jasper handed me the blueprints with a small smile that I did not bother returning. “By the way, I’m really digging the accent.” Jasper and I gave a small smile at JC’s comment. 

I followed the two men into the control room, and laid the blueprints out on a long table with ease, but soon I was starting to feel the effects of my exhaustion. My knees started to wobble and I gripped the table in front of me to keep my balance.

"Mister Tomlinson, do you need a chair?" Jasper asked, noticing the weakness in my stance. JC's eyes immediately flew to mine, and I could tell that I must have looked like an animal trapped in a cage.

"Jasp, get him a chair," JC said, then turned to me. "I'm going to go find something for you to eat and drink. There's a food storage room just across the hall," he turned to Jasper. "I'll yell if something happens."

I watched with dread at JC’s retreating form. He was leaving me alone with a man who tried to kill me, which caused me to lose all possible comfort I had before, even though it was a miniscule amount to begin with.

I heard a scuffle of Jasper moving what was probably a chair behind me, and I felt a cold metal softly tap the back of my legs, sending shivers up my spine. "Here you go."

My hands remained glued to the table, as I sat backwards into the chair. I refused to look at Jasper, who moved to stand next to me.

"I didn't want to do it, you know."

I kept my eyes trained at the unfolded blueprints as I replied, "You didn't have to do it in the first place, you know."

I could feel his eyes bore into the side of my head, as if he was trying to see something more than my words. But that's all that I was going to give him: words.

"Mister Tomlinson, I had no choice, I had to make sure he would trust me, and I have an expertise in torture from my time working for the government, and-"

"We always have a choice, Jasper."

I turned to look at him, and saw that he wasn't the man that had tried to kill me just an hour before, but he was a tormented individual who was self-deprecating. I could see that he needed me to forgive him, but some part of me didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

"I don't think you understand my point here, Mister Tomlinson. If I didn't do that to you, he would have killed me and the other men whom I stand for. Men like JC. And I think that you trust him, that you like the head he has on his shoulders. But if I didn't do what I did to you, Mister Tomlinson, JC’s head would not be on his shoulders. And chances are we would both be dead."

I looked at him, seeing things more clearly. He had been put in the position that my sister had, I had, and Harry had been placed in. He had to choose the better for the many over the better for the few. He had to make an impossible decision that no human being should be in position to make.

"Thank you."

Jasper’s eyes widened, and he took a step back in shock. "Wait, what just happened?"

I rolled my eyes, "You chose to save my life. And for that I thank you."

Apparently JC chose that exact moment to come back in, carrying a bottled water and a protein bar with him. "I certainly hope that you two hashed out whatever tension was between you, because we really need to get a move on."

"On the lower level structure there are three different points that basically hold the entire compound together. Here," I pointed to a load bearing wall on the eastern part of the building, "here," on the western part of the building, "and here," and the northern part of the building.

JC nodded in agreement. "These three places work the best because they not only have to hold the load of the basement-"

I continued, "But they have to hold the load of the ground level as well."

I looked at Jasper and JC with a small smile. "Three people, three sites. We can just go in and go out and no collateral damage needed to be done."

They returned my smile, knowing that by only having three target sites, the idea that we are going to be able to get out of here alive seemed more and more plausible by the second. All we needed to do was to get in and get out, but there was always the issue of staying unseen long enough to do that.

"Hey JC, where's the C4 that you were talking about?" Jasper asked, returning to the side of his computer that he had been working on before we came in.

"It's in room G24, you know, the one with the good guns?"

I looked at Jasper and he nodded and started typing away. I grabbed the water and bar from JC then slowly started to drink, careful not to shock my system. The coolness of the water was like a little piece of heaven moving down my throat.

The protein bar tasted good, but it was too scratchy to go down my throat without some water. I rotated between drinking a sip of water and taking a small bite of the protein bar until they both ran out.

"I sent the files, which included our location. We got thirty minutes until some feds start showing up, so let's get this show on the road," Jasper spoke, leaving the side of the computer to pick up an AK-47, and headed for the door.

JC followed his lead, but first helped me out of the chair before grabbing his very own gun that I didn't recognize, and made me walk in between the two of them. We left the room on guard, well, more like I was hiding in between two big muscled men who were on guard. Not that I cared that much.

"Take your next left," JC grounded out, scanning the hallway behind us, and I made sure to keep myself firmly between the two of them.

Jasper took his next left and we found ourselves in front of the door labeled G47. "I'm going to open the door," Jasper said. JC pushed me against the wall, and kept his back to Jasper, who opened the door slowly before bursting in with his gun ready for fire.

I couldn't help but close my eyes in anticipation for what might happen. If they're waiting for us in the room, then Jasper gets shot, and when they move out JC and I don't stand a chance. My breath caught in my throat at the thought.

"All clear!" Jasper’s voice shot through the silence.

I moved in, immediately going to Jasper’s side at the sight of the bombs. I don't even want to know how Nick got his hands on this many dirty bombs, or why they are kept in a freaking storage closet, but his stupidity is going to save me, so I don't really care at this moment.

All I saw was wires after wires on the bombs. "How are we supposed to do this?" I asked, not too happy about the clear complexity of this job. I mean, I'm smart, but I've never had to wire a bomb before. Hell, I've never seen a bomb up close and personal like this before, and I'll admit it's making me a bit nervous.

"Here," Jasper handed me his gun, putting the safety on first, thank God, and then rerouted the wires into some weird pattern. I didn't know what shocked me more, Jasper wasn't just an expert on waterboarding, or that he actually handed me his gun.

I've never held a gun before either. I felt my knees start to wobble.

"Jasp is a munitions expert," JC’s voice came from behind me, and I choked down my shock before nodding in reply. I didn't dare turn around to show JC the fear that was starting to course through me. I didn't want any second thoughts before we did this thing.

After only what seemed to be a few minutes, Jasper took his gun away from me and replaced it with a bomb. I couldn't help but gulp at the sight of it ticking down from 20 minutes, and he looked me in the eyes. "You're going to be fine. We're not diffusing this bad boy, Mister Tomlinson. It's not like the movies, not at all. All you're doing is attaching this to the eastern load bearing wall, and then you get out. No issue."

I nodded, and worked to control my fear as Jasper handed JC a bomb then grabbed one for himself. "We will lead you to the hallway that leads to the wall, but then it's up to you to find it. It will be the wall that is directly parallel to you when you walk down it. Once you get there, you will attach it with duct tape," he handed me a roll of duct tape. "After the bomb is attached, you get the hell out of the building. Follow the hallway, and then retrace your steps up the stairs. Once you get up the stairs, there will be a door on your right. Go out that door, and we will hopefully be waiting for you. If not us, then the feds. Then you're home free, kiddo."

I couldn't help the small smile that graced my face at the thought of being able to get out of here. I would be able to see my friends again… to see Harry again. If I closed my eyes long enough I could make out his face, his smile, his smirk, the twinkle in his eye. I needed to live. I needed to see Harry again. 

I needed my Haz back. 

We were just about to leave when I looked at the two guys, and noticed they had something I did not. "Wait, what about me?" I asked, looking between the two men impatiently.

They looked at me like I was crazy, which I knew I was most likely true. "What about you are you talking about here, Mister Tomlinson?" JC asked, an impatient look crossing his face.

"I need a weapon too, you know."

Jasper huffed then walked over to a knife section and pulled out a dagger. "Here, this will be your weapon."

"This won't help me against guns," I said smartly, then when their eyes clouded over with anger, I let it drop. "Okay, no gun it is, then."

They turned to walk out the door right as something metal and shiny hit my eye. I grabbed it and stuffed it in the waistband of my ratty old jeans, and quickly followed them out.

We got to the hallway without an issue, and we stopped and looked at each other with knowing eyes. This might be the last time we see each other again, so I smiled and nodded at both of them. "Thank you," I said, a tear finding its way down my cheek.

JC gave me a small smile, and clapped my shoulder. "Good luck, Mister Tomlinson. I really do hope to see you again soon."

Jasper nodded in agreement, and winked at me with a knowing smile. "Good luck out there. Go get him."

I took a deep breath, then turned around and bolted down the hallway, not once looking back. I could only go forward from here. My legs were tired from misuse, and I could feel a burning sensation in my lungs, every bone in my body begging me to stop and slow down, but I didn't listen.

The hallway was dark and quiet, and it was obvious that no one had been down here in years. I could smell the mold the probably darkened the walls, only further adding to my struggle to breathe.

I got to the end of the hallway, and my heart rate quickened in anxiety as I saw the time on the bomb.

8:32

8:31

8:30

I cursed then grabbed the duct tape and with shaky hands, somehow was able to rip the tape and secure it to the wall.

It was as if I was on one of those shows where you had to complete a task in a given time, or something bad would happen, like you lose money, get hit with green slime, or whatever. But for me, if didn't do this in time I would blow up with the rest of the place.

What a wonderful thought to have.

6:47

6:46

6:45

As soon as I saw that the bomb was secure to the wall, I turned and ran down the hallway, and retraced my steps back to the stairs just as the guys had told me. I was so close to getting out of here… so close to freedom…

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Nick's voice sent shivers down my spine. I turned around to see Nick standing behind me at the bottom of the stairwell.

I looked at him, at his steely blue eyes, then turned my head to see the door that led out of this hell. To a better place, a better future. And I knew I had a choice to make.

3:00

2:59

2:58

I had to choose between my future and my past- between life and death.

-Harry POV-

_"Oh my God, Harry, I'm so sorry, I should have never kept that from you, I'm so sorry that I betrayed your trust, and oh God, I'm just so sorry!"_

My breath caught in my throat at the sound of his voice. His accent. His mortifying tone. I was dimly aware of the agents moving around me, telling me to keep talking to him and that they were trying to pinpoint their location.

"Louis… please, it's okay, I know why you did it… and God, please tell me you're okay. Tell me that you're okay and that you got out…" It felt as though my heart stopped at the sound of silence on the other end of the phone. Silence wasn't a good thing… it is a bad, bad thing. "Louis, please talk to me."

_"I'm not out of here, Harry. I'm still stuck, but guess what? There's an inside man, you know. He worked for George, and now he's kind of working for your father. I met with him and now we're going to end this once and for all."_

The guy who was working for my father is still alive? I could only hope that George and my father had a good taste in bodyguards. But what the hell is she thinking about doing?

"No, no ending anything for you, Louis. I want you to get the hell out of there and come home, okay? I need you, remember, I need you so you need to come back to me."

I felt someone grab my shoulder, and I turned my head to see that Cory was standing there with tears in his eyes. It was only then that I realized I was shedding tears of my own.

_"I made you promise something, Harry. Do you remember that? I made you promise to never give up, even if something happens to me. I need you to keep that promise, Harry."_

I remembered that moment we made that promise, and I couldn't help but let out a sob at the memory. "Louis, please just… just stay alive, okay? That promise goes both ways- never give up, Louis."

_"I need to end this, Harry, you know that."_

"But why does it need to be you?"

I heard him sigh on the other end of the line, and I knew I was losing him. _"You know why, Harry. And I need to go… I just… I just wish I was there with you, you know?"_

"Please promise me that you will be alive, Louis. I need you to promise me that." I was begging now, and I never begged for anything. But here I was begging for Louis Tomlinson to stay alive, begging to some divine entity that he would be okay.

_"Harry, I got to go."_

"Louis-"

_"I'm sorry."_

All that could be heard was the sound of a long beep. I handed the phone back to Eleanor wordlessly and tearfully turned to look at the agents who had been working on tracking the call.

Agents Palmer and Charleston were looking intently at a screen, and talking very intensely to a female agent who was working on the computer.

"Do we have coordinates?"

"No, but we do have an abstract location."

"What do you mean abstract?"

"What I mean is these guys are good- they had a set location for the coordinates to be, but it was in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So I reran the logistics through an algorithm that led me to this abstract location."

I felt myself start to shake, and I looked at my hands, somewhat confused. Was I shaking out of fear? Or was I shaking out of anger? I decided that don't know anymore.

"Harry, what are we going to do?" I looked to see my friends all around me with watery eyes that I knew I shared.

My eyebrows furrowed and I thought for a second before coming up with my conclusion. "Nothing."

I saw fire spark through Eleanor's eyes as she jumped up and looked at my hysterically. "Nothing! What the hell do you mean, nothing? Louis is going to die if we do nothing!"

I sat back in the chair and wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded at Eleanor, letting her know that did hear her point. "Look, you and I, we both know Louis. We know him well enough to know that he's planning something, and I know his survival instincts. He is going to get out, and he is going to let us know about it. He's not dumb enough to do this alone."

Eleanor's eyebrows scrunched together and she sat back into the chair with a huff. "You're actually kind of right, Styles."

"But what if we're wrong?" Briana asked, looking between Eleanor and I with her tear-filled eyes. "What if we're wrong about this and Louis dies because of it?"

I looked at her with cold eyes. "I really do hope that isn't the case."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

We had been waiting for what felt like hours. I knew time was running out for Louis each second the agents around us didn't find a lead. It was obvious that no one had any clue about what to do from the sweat that had been increasing on their brows and the increasing intensity that filled the air.

The nine of us had been waiting in complete silence. I was holding hands with Kendall and Eleanor, who was tight against Cory's side, who had Briana up against his other side. Mitch and Niall sat huddled together, and Liam, who had been pacing in the shadows, was now sitting up against a wall with his head in his hands.

I knew he was probably thinking about his mother. And now he was losing someone again, and wasn't able to stop it.

But I knew that if I started to think about the possibility that Louis did not survive this then I would start to lose myself in the insanity, and all that he had worked for, all that he had done would be in vain.

I just keep coming back to the thought that Louis should have saved himself. He should have gotten himself out of there, and left me. He shouldn't have been so selfless.

And if he didn't come out of there, I would have to be the one to pick up the pieces.

I had to stop myself from thinking about contingency plans. There was still time to save him, and every second that I stopped to think that we wouldn't do exactly that it was almost as if I had given up on him and I didn't want to subject myself to that.

"We got a location!"

Everyone's heads perked up at the sight of a female agent giving Agents Palmer and Charleston coordinates, and the sight of everyone around them shuffling papers erratically and grabbing for their guns and badges.

Immediately I got up and walked over to the scene. "I'm going with you," I spoke, the determination in my voice clear.

The agents rolled their eyes at me. "Now kid, we know you want to save your boyfriend and stuff, but you should sit this one out and leave this for the big boys."

I raised an eyebrow at them, drawing all false confidence I had to the table. "Look, I know none of you had been to this place before, and I have. And from how long it took you guys to get the location, I'd say you could use all the help you can get. I've been there before, and I know my way around. I can tell you where to go, as long as I can come with."

The agents looked at me exasperatedly then looked at each other. "Okay, kid. But you're staying in the car the entire time."

I smiled, and followed them out the door. But before I left I snuck a peek at my friends, who all had large smiles on their faces. I saw Eleanor one last time and she mouthed, "Go get him."

I winked at her before following the agents out the door.

The car ride was long and boring, as I sat in the back of the black SUV. It was pretty cool to see everyone move out of our way, but after a while the new got old and I found myself spacing out, and thinking about Louis.

The way his eyes lit up when he had an idea. The way he stuck out his chin determinedly right about the same time he was going to make a stupid decision. The way he would run his fingers through his hair as he thought about something intently.

A small smile made its way to my face as I thought about how all of those things were things that I absolutely loved about him.

And now I was going to get him back.

The SUV came to a stop in front of the compound, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I had been stuck in this place for a long time, if not physically then mentally, and now it was time to end that.

The agents got out of the car and grabbed their guns, and got them loaded and ready to go. I saw other cars pull up, and I saw a majority of police officers, FBI agents, and a few EMTs at the scene.

One of the other agents that I didn't know the name to came up to Agent Palmer and Charleston. "Palmer, Charleston, how do you want us to do this?"

Palmer directed men to go around the perimeter and search for the exits. 

He was just about to move on ahead himself when the unimaginable happened.

The building in front of us exploded into thousands and thousands of pieces with a big boom, taking everything inside down with it. 

"No!" I screamed, dropping to my knees, the tears already welling in my eyes. 

The love of my life just died in a fallen building. 

-Louis POV-

The choice between living and getting revenge was hard to weigh. If I chose to live, to walk out of the building, I wouldn't get my revenge. But if I chose revenge, I wouldn't be able to live the rest of my life and do what I wanted to do.

So in other words, the choice was simple, really.

"Nick, what the hell do you think you're doing," I spoke, my voice echoing a confidence that I did not have. My body felt weak, but my voice was strong.

His icy blue eyes pierced up at me like bullets would skin. They were like daggers digging into my conscience, eating away at my soul. There was only one way to stop this.

"I've came to stop you, of course. Do you really think I would let you leave that easily, Lou?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yet you still seem to let the very men who betrayed you leave here unscathed? What did I do to you? Why did you pick me to be subjected to your sick obsession?"

He simply rolled his eyes at me, and a sickly smile came across his face. "You're just like her, you know."

I cocked an eyebrow, totally not seeing where this was going. "Wait, what?"

"You are just like your sister, Lou. So brave, so strong. I was never able to crack Felicité, either. Even the one she most loved leaving her didn't do the job. She was stronger than life itself, my dear. She was light."

My eyes widened, and I had to calm myself at the mention of my sister. "So why me?"

Nick's eyes seemingly faded into a different place as he replied, "She was so good, so smart, so good at everything. And for some reason I hated her for that. Even in her darkest moments, the girl still kept her chin high and pushed forward. I hated her because of that."

He looked at me for a second, a newfound look of awe glittering in his eyes. "All I wanted was to be great. I just wanted one chance to make a difference in this world, and your sister took that from me. She told me I was doing it the wrong way; she told me I was being a monster…" Nick sighed, and his eyes turned dark and menacing, so much that I instinctively took a step back. "So I showed her what a monster truly looked like. I became one."

"She trusted you, Nick," I spoke, my voice wavering slightly. "Fizzy trusted that you would make the right decision. And you made the wrong one."

He looked at me with such hatred my heart stopped in fear. "You are just like her. You are good at everything, smart, stunning, have everyone kneeling at your feet. I see the same light in you that she had, so I made it my mission to snuff it out. You are too good, too pure, and that is the real monster. Not me. You."

I started walking down the stairs, as everything became clear now. I was the final hurdle in Nick's plan. I was the one who had the power to stop everything that he had worked for, and he feared me. The most feared man in the country is afraid of me.

I couldn't hide the smirk that found its way to my face. All sense left me as I realized that I was making my decision, I was choosing revenge. I was choosing the wrong choice for the first time in my life and it felt good.

"You have been the subject of my fears for over half my life," I said, stalking slowly upon Nick as a tigress would its prey. "This ends right now, Nick. Between you and me."

He laughed, obviously not believing a word I had been saying. "What are you going to do, Louis Tomlinson? Are you going to kill me? Cause good luck, dearie, living with my blood on your hands for the rest of your life. You see, even when I'm dead, I'll still be the subject of your fears. There's truly no way on heaven or earth you can get rid of me."

I took out my dagger and held it out in front of me, as if I were in a fighting stance. Hell, I don't even know what a fighting stance would look like, but from the movies I had seen I'm pretty sure it would come close to it.

"Oh, look, the boy has a knife! Ha, I'd like to see you try to stab me, Louis. I doubt you could even give me a scratch."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists in anger over his words. He thought I was weak, and he was taunting me, trying to make me make a false move. But I wasn't going to give him that luxury.

I dropped the knife behind me, and looked at him with a pointed gaze. His eyes widened, then a laugh escaped his throat at the sight that was in front of him. But, to be honest, I couldn't really blame him. 

A boy who had been nearly starved to death trying to kill him. 

What a sight.

I reached behind me and pulled at the metal rings that I had hid in my waistband. And smirked at him tauntingly. "Who ever said I was going to kill you, Nick?"

Seeing his shock, I used that moment to pounce on him, and grabbed his wrist and cuffed it with the cuffs I had taken from the storage room. I immediately cuffed the other end to the metal handrail and jumped back so that he couldn't grab me.

He looked at me, eyes wide. "What did you do?"

I laughed, and eased myself back up the stairs, carefully minding the dagger that I had left behind before.

He struggled against the bonds of the handcuffs that now bound him to the very building that I set to destruct in the next minute. "What did you do!"

I smiled at him as I daintily picked up the dagger and laughed as I swung it around in front of him. "I never told you that I was going to kill you, Nick. That's something that you will be doing yourself. And as for what I did? Well, in approximately 15 seconds this place is going to blow up, taking everyone and everything with it." I tossed the dagger down by his feet when I got to the top of the stairs. "So do as you may choose. You see, I am giving you a choice. So it is your choice whether or not to die by the hand of you, or the hand of this establishment. And I must be going now. Goodbye."

I counted down to myself as the time started to wind down. I reached to open the door, and took a deep breath before opening it.

Nothing happened. It was locked.

It was locked in from the outside. I frantically banged on the door and tried to pry it open, but I knew I was running out of time and fast. My body was too weak to make any damage, so I braced myself for the worst.

_5._

A single tear fell from my eye as I slowly eased myself down the wall.

_4._

I closed my eyes, thinking about the sunshine and the sound of birds chirping in the summer. A sound I would never hear again.

_3._

I could see my mother, my father, my siblings... they were smiling at me.

_2._

My friends, Eleanor, Niall, Briana…

_1._

I could see the sweet smile of Harry Styles, his green eyes lighting up along with it, bringing life to everything around him. His lips, mouthing a final ‘I love you’. 

In my final moments, I smiled. I had lost everything, but in exchange, I’d saved my friends and family from Nick. 

I’d saved my Hazza. 

_0._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me! I promise, Louis's death is a necessary point in Harry's future.  
> I cry every time I read this chapter, honestly.  
> I've decided I'm going to keep this upload schedule going- I want to have this book finished by my break from school mid-October, so the upload schedule continues.  
> I'll see y'all next week :)


	11. our happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers- dead bodies, blood.  
> Enjoy :)

-Harry POV-

The explosion rocked the car, dangerously pushing it on the side. I heard a small squeal of the tires and I knew they were dragged with the force of the blast.

My hands were on my ears, but I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. Even though I had been relatively in a safe place, my ears rang and my heart was beating out of my chest. Tears were threatening to escape my eyes, but I used all the will I had left to hold it in.

My eyes were trained on the sight of the now collapsed building that I know Louis had just been in. Surely he was still alive, I mean, he had survived everything else, why can't he survive this? He's fine. He has to be.

I jumped out of the car, and as soon as I opened the car door the scent of things burning overwhelmed me, and the heat that had been given off from the blast had just increased the temperature by about thirty degrees.

My cheeks were burning, but I wasn't sure if it was from the heat or the anxiety that plagued me. I was looking at the blast sight, searching, searching for any sight of the British brunette that I had come to love.

If I could just find him, then this would all be over.

"Styles!" I turned to see a bloodied Agent Palmer. He came running over to me, gun in hand. But what caught me by surprise was the look of relief on his face. Hadn't he just seen this place blow up? Doesn't he understand that Louis is still inside? He gripped my shoulder with his open hand and looked me in the eye. "I'm glad you're okay, kid."

"Louis is still in there," I said, turning away from his now pitiful gaze. "We need to find him."

I started to move toward the compound, but Agent Palmer's grip on my shoulder tightened, bringing me to a sudden halt. "I can't let you do that, kid. You need to get back to the SUV, and I'll get some of my guys to look for him."

I quickly turned to look at him in anger. "No, you look for him now. He's still alive, I know it. We aren't looking for a body."

Agent Palmer's eyebrows furrowed, and I could see the frustration take over. He obviously felt that he had better things to get to, so I decided to put him in his place. "Look, who do you think set off the bombs?" I asked as soon as he used his grip on my shoulder to drag me back to the car. "I know Louis, and this is something he would do."

Agent Palmer scoffed. "There's no way he could have done this alone-"

I shook my head, "That's because he wasn't alone. When he was talking to me, he told me that he found the inside man that had been hired by my father and George Grimshaw to stop Nick. Please, I know that he is out there, and that he needs our help."

He stopped dragging me and his grip on my shoulder eased as I saw his jaw clench but is eyes seemed to be spinning with the details of what I told him. "Sounds to me like we need to find him. If he got out, he might not have gotten out of the blast entirely, so we are going to need to mark a perimeter, and check for survivors. All of the survivors."

Agent Palmer directed the rest of the agents and officers to do exactly that, and only when Agent Charleston came over to the two of us did he let go of my shoulder. It was as if he expected me to try and escape, which I couldn't help but admit had passed through my mind.

"Styles, you can help us find Louis as long as you stick with the two of us," Agent Palmer spoke, and nodded toward Charleston. "And you do exactly as we say when we say it."

I nodded, and the anxiety that had been taking over me started to take its effect. My chest started to tighten, and when we started to search for Louis I could feel my hands start to shake from the adrenaline coursing through my blood.

Over the course of the next hour we had found a lot of Nick's men. Some were dead, others were being carted off to the hospital with both major and minor injuries. I couldn't look at them without feeling a certain hatred run through me. I hoped they had all died in the blast, but I really couldn't bring myself to admit it.

"Louis!" I called, picking up pieces of rubble and tossing it to the side. Frustration was starting to take over, and I couldn't help but think about if he didn't get out. Tears had been streaming down my face on and off, and I didn't care about how strong or weak I looked at the moment.

I couldn't help but feel the fear start to spread throughout my body, and take its toll on my thoughts. The images of his body lying there, broken and mangled from the blast shrouded my mind, and made me want to throw up.

"Louis!" I yelled again, using my hands as a megaphone, and couldn't stop the curses that started to ring out of my mouth. I was starting to feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, starting to see that the only person who could lift that weight off my shoulders might never have the chance to do so.

A sob wracked through my body, and I collapsed onto my knees amidst the rubble and debris. By this time all that could be checked was checked, and the fire department was starting to remove large pieces of fallen cement walls to recover the bodies.

Bodies. 

That's what they were now calling them.

I barely felt the hands that helped me up and brought me to the back of an ambulance. I didn't really notice when the EMT shone a light in my eyes, or when he asked me any questions. I just stared at the place that I had resided in for months, the place where Louis will never quite leave.

My mouth was wide open, as if I was screaming, but no sound was coming out. My bottom chin was shaking with the pressure that had been put on my body, with the grief and oppression that was feeling.

"Styles," A voice spoke to me, and my ears perked up at the familiar name. A name she called me. "Styles, c'mon, snap out of it. We need you."

It was as if everything snapped back to reality, and my eyes focused on a face in front of me. Or, rather, four different faces. "What do you want, agents?" I asked, my voice coming out in a gravelly rasp.

I saw Agent Palmer blink at the dead look I had in my eyes, almost not quite believing the toll that this whole ordeal was taking on me. He gestured to the two men that were standing by him and Agent Charleston. "These two have something to tell you, Styles, and I think you're going to want to hear this."

I moved my eyes lazily from Palmer to the two men, and was taken aback. These were two of Nick's men, two of them that I recognized. Nick had liked to use them to drag Louis and I around.

"Get the hell away from me," I spat, moving back further into the ambulance, then turned to the two agents with wild eyes. "Get them away from me!"

The first man looked to the other man with blonde hair, who pursed his lips. They both were bleeding, but I didn't care to see from where it was coming from. I just didn't want them to be anywhere near me.

Agent Palmer walked forward and held up his hands in a soothing gesture. "Harry, look, just hear them out, okay? They have some information that can help us."

My breathing hitched, and I immediately drew the connection. "Are you the inside man? Or men?"

The first man nodded, a small smile curving onto his face. "Yes, Mister Styles. I was employed to learn what Nick was up to, and Jasper and I here worked to get you and Mister Tomlinson out of there."

My eyebrows furrowed, and I tried to suppress the hope that started to build up in my stomach. If the people who were supposed to help Louis escape were still alive, then there was a chance that he was still alive too.

And that's all I needed. A chance.

"What-Where's Louis? Why isn't he with you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing at the two men in front of me.

Their faces turned grim, and my heart dropped at the sight of their now dropped eyes. 

"He didn't make it out in time," 

_My heart stopped._

"He wanted to meet up with Nick, to get even. I tried to talk him out of it, I really did, but I guess he never got out."

All hope that had been slowly building up had completely disintegrated now. 

I couldn't help but look away from the two men who were supposed to be something like the messiah, who were supposed to fix everything.

"No, no, no, that's not possible, he's too strong to have-" 

The two men looked at me with sympathy in their eyes. 

Agent Palmer patted my leg and I heard him take a deep breath. "We're looking into the site where he was supposed to escape from, just in case he survived the explosion. But I just thought you should know that he didn't make it out."

I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, and hoped that the men in front of me weren't going to judge me for the tears that escaped despite my best efforts.

I heard the sound of shuffling and stiffened when I felt a shift in the level in the back of the ambulance. I opened my eyes to see the blonde man sitting next to me, keeping his distance. "He did really care about you, you know."

I looked away from the man next to me, and took a deep breath. Even though I didn't want to speak to anyone, let alone a man who had been a part of the torture that Louis and I had went through, he seems to have known Louis, and I bet he knew him.

"Yeah? What did he say?" I asked, looking back toward the compound that is now shrouded over the darkness of the night only illuminated by the lights of people searching for the bodies still left in the rubble.

The man next to me laughed. "He never really said anything, mate. It was all in his actions, you know. He never really gave up, and I bet it continued until his last breath. He wanted to live to be with you, that much was obvious. There were times he would stare off at nothing, and a smile would spread across his face. That was the only time he smiled. When he was thinking of you."

I couldn't help the smile that came onto my face at the thought of him thinking of me in that way. It was wistful, thinking about what could have been. But it was also a great tragedy, thinking about what should have been said, what should have been done. I love him, and I never had the chance to let him know how much.

Hell, he thought I hated him.

"Please just don't say any more," I spoke, my voice hoarse and sullen. "I don't need to know anything because nothing is all that I'm ever going to get now. He's gone, there's no reason for thinking about what could have been now."

The man looked at me, tears in his eyes. "He didn't deserve his fate. He didn't deserve any of what Nick did to him, and I just wish that I never gotten involved with this in the first place."

I kept my eyes trained on the compound, seeing but not really seeing. "No, he didn't deserve any of this."

"I found someone!"

I didn't think anything of it, having heard those words come from the mouths of the rescuers what seems to be a thousand times. After a while I guess it just hit me that they were never going to find Louis. And if they did, he would be dead. I didn't know what would be worse.

"We need a doctor here! _This one's alive!"_

EMT's went rushing to the scene where the rescuers were calling for them, and that's as far as my eyes followed them. I suddenly didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't want to be reminded of what happened anymore. I didn't want anything to do with this.

"Oh my God," the man next to me gasped. "He survived. What the hell, he survived!"

My thoughts seemed to disappear all at once, and I looked at the man next to me before turning to see what he was looking at.

_"Louis!"_

I jumped out of the back of the ambulance and ran to the side of the stretcher holding a brunette boy that was covered in soot. "Oh, God, Louis!"

His eyes were closed, his face was pale, and he had cuts all over his body. His left arm and leg were in splints and covered in a blanket that I knew under no circumstances would I ever want to look under. There was blood sticking to his clothes, dripping onto the stretcher, and covered him skin with dirt and things that I didn't know.

The only thing that mattered was the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Sobs were wracking my frame as I took him in, and with a shaking hand I caressed his cheek, just to make sure that he was there, that it wasn't just some sort of figment of my imagination.

At the touch of my hand, his eyes opened and I saw them roll around until they focused in on me. He smiled slightly, and I grabbed the hand that wasn't splinted, and smiled back at him as tears streamed down my face.

"We're alive, Louis," I spoke, sheer joy shining through my voice. "We're alive."

Tears streaked down from his eyes, and left perfect lines on his cheeks as a result. His eyes closed and my other hand moved to his cheek to wipe the tears away, and the grime around them.

"We're alive."

-Louis POV-

It's been a month since I've last seen my friends, old and new. I woke up in the hospital, and after seeing that I was all alone besides one of my mother's bodyguards, I learnt that my mother had decided to put me under house arrest until the whole police investigation was over.

My mother decided to oversee my education, and had the best teachers across the country give me online courses so I would be able to graduate on time. But based off of the tight hold that my mother has been putting on me, I doubt I will be able to walk for graduation.

I'll probably end up just getting my diploma in the mail.

The press has been around constantly, hoping to sneak a peek at the "Boy Who Lived." I don't know why they decided to compare me to Harry Potter, but after Styles returned alone, everyone made the assumption that I was dead.

The fact that our parents are well known in the press for two of the handful of people who make our country's economy run- it only makes the press more relentless, and I've been forced to close all the shades and excuse myself from natural light.

It was as if I never really escaped Nick's prison after all.

"Mister Tomlinson, your mother is calling for you."

I blindly looked at the door of the study, and I was shocked to see that I didn't even notice it open. One of the house maids was standing at the door, her bright rosy cheeks full with the smile she wore on her face. It was always me who she smiled at.

"Thanks, Matilda. I'll just be a minute," I said, gesturing to the copy of Pride and Prejudice in my hand. The love story between Lizzy and Mr. Darcy always had me enthralled, it was if I was transported into the setting of the story, and I felt at home. Needless to say it was my go-to book when I felt lonely.

A sad smile was drawn onto my face at the sight of the beaten, worn out book. I was going to need a new copy, as this one has been overused.

"Still reading that book? You know you have hundreds of others that may catch your attention?"

Matilda's smile was gone now, and replaced with a look only a woman of her age could deliver- that of a reprimanding grandmother.

I simply shrugged at her hinting, choosing not to take the seed she had planted.

"You are very different, Louis. Why do you allow yourself to feel this way?"

I looked up at Matilda, the woman who had been living at my beck and call ever since I took my first steps, and took a deep breath. There were tears now falling down her face, and I felt horrible. The tears were pure, unstaining, as they fell down her wrinkled skin.

I knew if I were to cry, my face would be permanently stained. I was no longer pure, like Matilda. Nick had taken that from me, my sense of life… it has been stolen.

"Why won't you speak to me? To your mother? She has been worried for you, Louis. Ever since you've come back, you have been in this state of depression that you have never shown before. A strong young man like yourself should be downstairs, confronting your mother, and telling her how this isolation is making you lonely."

I turned my head to look away from the maid, my eyes closing at the stab. I knew that everything she was saying was right. I just didn't really like it very much.

"The Louis Tomlinson I know would be downstairs giving his mother grief for how she has been keeping you cooped up and alone while what you need for your health is to be out, free, and enjoying the world."

I felt a tear running down my face, ashamed of myself. I had been using the fact that I was kidnapped as a crutch for the past month, and apparently Matilda has had enough of it. I heard the soft sound of her heels hitting the hardwood floors as she left the room to my own thoughts.

Now I had two options. I could stay here and read the book that has been my safeguard ever since I could remember, or I could go downstairs and face my mother.

Reading the book was really looking appealing.

But I knew what I was going to have to do if I wanted to be free again.

I was going to have to face my mother.

I dropped the book on the floor and stood up stiffly, and took a deep breath. I was going to need every piece of courage I had left to face the woman who gave birth to me- the same woman who I inherited my stubbornness from.

Sometimes she was even worse than me, and reflecting on how stubborn I have been over the course of the last few months, I have to say I was going to be facing a major challenge.

Clenching my fists, I stalked out of the room and made my way through the gray house into the dining room, where my mother was located.

After taking my sweet time and procrastinating enough to make even me wonder what the hell I was doing, I found myself limping in the dining room, facing my mother. 

Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight and efficient bun on the back of her head, but I knew she must have been stressed as some strands were starting to loosen and fall out. This only occurs when something happened to make her run through her hair, something I had become accustomed to do too.

She was reading and marking some documents while eating some soup the cook must have made. I took a deep breath and made sure my emotions were in check before I did this.

"Mother," I spoke, my voice coming out in an embarrassing croak.

She looked up, her eyebrows lifting at my abruptness, and I had to suppress the eerie shiver that ran down my spine at being the victim of her piercing glare.

"Louis Tomlinson, I thought I taught you to be more polite. Please, do take a seat."

I released a breath I had been holding, and smiled shakily at my mother while sitting in the chair opposite from her.

It was after that I was properly situated when she began her attack. "Why were you so late to coming to lunch this afternoon? You have had no lessons before this, so therefore you have no reason to have taken such a long time to be here."

I pursed my lips to keep a snappy reply from getting through. "I'm sorry. I was reading, and I guess I must have lost track of time."

"Lost track of time?" One of her dark, perfectly manicured eyebrows rose in disbelief. "You have never lost track of time before, Louis. Were you reading Pride and Prejudice again? You do realize we have hundreds of other books that could catch your attention?"

I looked at my mother, mouth wide open and wide eyed. She simply smirked at me, and pushed the documents she had been slaving over and then smiling at me.

"Yes, Matilda expressed her concerns over how you haven't been yourself lately, and to be honest, I don't need a maid to tell me when something is wrong with my son."

I laughed silently at my mother, who looked peeved that a maid had tried to tell her how to parent her son. And knowing Matilda, she had probably been very direct about it too. She's old enough to where she doesn't care what she says anymore, she just speaks her mind. I think that's one of the reasons why my mother keeps her around.

"Mom, I think that I shouldn't be kept in this house, locked up like I am. I need to get out, see the world… go to school-" At the sour look on her face I cut myself off. "Look, Mother, I just need to see my friends, I need to see the world. I almost died, you know that, I know that, the world knows that. I don't want to go another day without seeing the sky, seeing the grass, everything that I had been away from. Life's too short to be a prisoner."

My eyes drifted off to the table when I was speaking, too afraid to meet her eyes, to see her disappointment. 

But when I finally looked up, I saw something very, very different.

She was smiling, her icy blue eyes now glowing with happiness. I very nearly choked on a breath at the sight of tears in her eyes. I have never seen my mother cry, not after Fizzy left.

"I have been waiting for you to say something, Louis. You needed to stand up for yourself, as in this world with being a figure for the press, now, you will be needing that skill more often than ever. Hell, even if you want to go to school again. And no one could do that for you, only yourself."

I laughed at her explanation, slightly shaking my head at my mother's life lessons that she dishes out to me almost every week. But this time, I think she may have a point.

"So can I see my friends now?"

My mother's eyes glinted with mischief, something that Fizzy had inherited.

"Of course you can," A voice spoke from behind me.

I looked at my mother as her smile got even wider, and took a deep breath before turning around.

"Harry," I spoke, his name coming out like a prayer. 

All my friends were in the dining room with Matilda standing off to the side, looking pleased with herself. All of the people that I thought I would never see again were right in front of me, including the guy who had been to hell and back with me.

Harry Styles looked like, well, Harry Styles. His million-dollar smile with his fluid green eyes that always kept me in a trance along with his strong stature that had obviously been rebuilt after almost being starved to death a month and a half ago.

His spark was back as well too, "So, Tomlinson, are you just going to sit there, or-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence when I jumped out of the chair and practically flung myself at him, holding on for dear life.

Harry obviously wasn't ready for my response as he stumbled back in shock and it took him a few seconds to return the embrace.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?" I heard Zayn ask, but then it was followed by a "Smack!" and then an "Ow! C'mon, that really hurt!"

I felt the breathy laugh come from Styles's mouth that was nestled in my hair, kissing my head over and over again, almost like a silent prayer. I never felt more alive than I had in this moment.

"Come on you children, Mistress Johannah, let's give Mister Tomlinson and Mister Styles some space," Matilda's voice broke through the silence, and I kind of wanted to give her a high five. 

Definitely the best maid that ever existed.

We only pulled apart from our embrace just barely when they left the room, and shut the door behind them. He took my face in his hands, and looked at me in the eyes.

I have never seen someone look at me with so much love before. 

Looking into the eyes of the boy in front of me, I almost forgot how to breathe, and my heart started to beat uncontrollably in my chest. If this was what love felt like, I know exactly why Lizzy fell so hard for Mr. Darcy.

"I thought you were dead," Harry spoke, his voice hoarse as he was choking back a sob. "I missed you so much."

I closed my eyes and leaned into his hands, my skin tingling where his palms caressed my cheeks. "I missed you too. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." I looked up at him, a sad smile coming across my face. "But I'm not sorry for what I did to you," I continued. "I needed to keep you safe… I couldn't lose you like I lost my sister."

He took a deep breath, and I knew that he wanted to disagree with me, but was obviously using superhuman control not to.

"Louis, you mean more to me than anything in this world now. You and I… you know me more than I know myself, more than what anyone knows about me. If I lost you…"

"It's all over now, Haz. You didn't lose me, and I didn't lose you."

I was taken back up in his strong embrace, being squished into his chest. "Haz, I kinda can't breathe."

His grip loosened, but only a tiny bit, and I relaxed into his embrace. We stood there in silence, just soaking in the reality that we survived and that we were together. "So, uh, what do we do now?" He asked, breaking the silence. I broke away from his embrace, and looked up at him confusedly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, now that we're out of Nick's happy place, what do we do?"

I laughed as he looked completely lost while saying this. "And you know, everyone besides our friends thinks that we still hate each other."

Haz moaned, and hid his face in my hair. "I can't believe I was so stupid, Louis. Why didn't I just suck it up and be nice to you sooner?"

I giggled, then stopped, realizing that I just giggled. I've never giggled before, I don't know how the world has come to this. 

"Did you just giggle, Louis?"

I smacked him on the arm, causing him to be the big baby that he is and whine about it. We went back and forth for a while, slowly drifting back into the playful banter that has defined our relationship for so long. It was nice to get back to something normal for a change.

We found ourselves sitting on a chair, well, Harry was sitting with a leg propped up on the chair beside him after I told him he could do that, and I was sitting on his lap, leaning back into his chest while he played with the loose pieces of my hair, occasionally kissing my cheek like he couldn’t believe I was there with him.

"I've always wanted to do this, you know."

"Hmm?"

"Play with your hair, I mean. The first time we met I had to restrain myself from running my fingers through your hair."

I snorted at his romantic behavior. "Haz, that's borderline creepy and stalkerish, so please keep that to yourself."

I felt his chest rumble as he tried to hide a laugh. "So you want me to keep my affection towards you to myself?"

"If it's not too much to ask."

"Nope, not at all."

The silence was back, and I started to wonder where everyone else was. And how long Harry and I have been alone in the room together. I really hope no one makes any assumptions, I mean, that would kind of suck.

"What do I call you now?"

My thoughts were cut off at his odd question. "Why?"

His fingers stopped twirling and he removed them from my hair completely before reaching around my body to grab my hands. "Well, I mean, are we dating? Boyfriends? I don't want to push you or anything, but I would like to be your boyfriend if you would like to be my boyfriend-"

I turned around, putting a finger on his lips and smiled at his wide eyes. "Haz, shut up. I would love to be your boyfriend."

His eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face, which I met with mine as I pulled him in for a kiss. 

And boy, was my new boyfriend a good kisser. 

I mean, I know he had practice, but everything around us turned into a blur, and I bet the world could be set on fire and I wouldn't have cared. 

We pulled away for air, and I couldn't help the shit-eating grin that crossed my face. I was proud to have a piece in what he looks like, because all the tinted chapstick that I previously had on my lips was now on his.

He must've realized I was basking in the fact, and he chuckled. "You're amazing," he spoke, his voice wandering off, almost as if he were in a dream.

"You're a charmer," I teased, then licked a finger to try and wipe off some of my chapstick from his face. "We should probably get back to the others now."

He rolled his eyes before taking me in for another heart-stopping kiss, making me feel weak all over my body. It seemed as soon as he started he pulled away, though, then pecked me on my forehead. "Okay, now we can go."

I laughed and got off his lap, and helped his lazy ass off the chair. "They probably think we had sex or something," he said, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

I elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to gasp for air. "No teasing, okay Haz? No need to make my mom or the staff uncomfortable."

He chuckled. "We both know you just don't want to be embarrassed." I felt an arm around my shoulder and a kiss on the top of my head as we reached the door into the common area. "But I won't tease, I promise."

"And you better keep your promise, Haz."

He grinned down at me. "Don't I always?"

We walked through the door and never looked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you didn't hate me too much! They finally got their happy ending! Hopefully, larry in real life gets their happily ever after too.  
> Next chapter is the last chapter, how sad! I've enjoyed this book so much and I'm happy to share it with all of you.  
> See y'all for the last time next week :)


	12. epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! The last chapter has come early! My precious baby is finally done.  
> For the last time, enjoy :)

-Louis POV-

"Louis, careful with your hair! I don't want to have to do it again!"

"Relax El, I won't ruin it," I said while looking at myself in the mirror in awe. Eleanor had done a really good job with the hair, and to be honest I was surprised as I had no idea that Eleanor could actually do hair like this without Briana's guidance.

"Yeah, just don't be coming to me when you screw it up."

I rolled my eyes, but the smile I wore still remained. As I admired my reflection, I realized that I never really felt this beautiful in a long time. My hair had flowers stringed throughout it and I had light makeup on. 

I knew that Haz was going to have a field day with this. He'll probably have them all picked out by the end of the reception.

My smile got even wider at the thought of Harry Styles. It has been 7 years since we decided to date, and even though our relationship has had some tough spots, we have always been able to talk through it and work it out.

I'm always amazed that for so long we had hated each other, while as of now, our relationship is blossoming and blooming like flowers in springtime. Every day I seem to fall even more in love with him, and I never thought I would ever be this happy.

Especially with him.

I was kind of surprised when Desmond and my mother actually believed that our relationship was going to be a good idea. In all honesty, with their rivaling businesses I thought they would be a bit more spiteful. Of course, they warned us about the press that was going to be following us around after all that has happened, and our parent's high status, so we were ready.

Anne, Harry's mom, was a completely different story.

_"Lou, I don't know why you're so nervous. I mean, you've survived torture two times over, being in a collapsed building, and putting up with me for our high school and college career. I promise meeting my mother will not be bad."_

_I sighed, running a hand through my hair wearily. "I know, it's just that you love her, and just from hearing about her I think she's amazing, so I just want her to not hate me."_

_Harry laughed, and turned to face me before he opened the door to his mother's apartment. "Louis, trust me, she already loves you."_

_I scoffed. "Yeah, she loves the boy who nearly got her son killed. Multiple times, actually."_

_He rolled his eyes, and sheer annoyance crossed his face. "Please, Louis, just loosen up. She knows that it wasn't your fault, and if anything, has given me grief for nearly getting you killed."_

_I looked up at him open mouthed, not knowing what to say, and a smug smile crossed his face. He pressed me against the door and kissed me, starting from my neck, and coming up to my lips. It lasted 2 minutes, and then he surprised me as he quickly opened the door before I could react._

_He walked into the apartment, clearly at peace with himself, and walked into the small living area with a couch and a loveseat in front of a T.V. before plopping his rear into the middle of the couch, placing his feet on a coffee table in front of him._

_"Mom! I'm home!"_

_"Is Louis here too?" I turned to where the voice came from, and saw a very beautiful woman walk into the room._

_"Yup."_

_The woman's eyes widened at the sight of her son making himself right at home on the couch. "Good God, Harry Styles! Are you really going to be this rude? I've taught you better!" She walked over to my boyfriend and smacked his feet off the coffee table and glared down at him._

_Harry merely grinned sheepishly and apologized. "Sorry, Mom."_

_The woman shook her head, and crossed her arms. "I'm not the boyfriend you have been being rude to."_

_He rolled his eyes, and smiled at me, winking as he apologized, "Sorry, boyfriend. Will you ever forgive me?"_

_His mom turned toward me and smiled kindly. "You can say no, don't let my son fool you."_

_I laughed, and shook my head. "He's just being a goofball. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Twist."_

_She smiled at me, and walked over to where I was and shook my hand. "It's very nice to meet you too, Louis. And please, call me Anne. You saved my son's life by basically giving up your own, and not to mention you have made him a much better boy since you have been together. I think you can call me by my first name."_

_I bit my lip, trying to hide a very childish smile that was about to cross my face. For some reason, when Anne gave me praise I felt an elation of happiness course through me. Something about making her proud of me was very endearing._

I suddenly understood why Haz was so fond of his mother.

Soon after I met Harry's mother, I met his stepfather, Robin. He had the same kindness that Anne radiated, and now, I understand how Harry was raised the way he was raised. 

Over dinner with Harry, Anne, and Robin, I learnt a lot more about the insane childhood Harry had, and I got to see some baby pictures, much to Harry's disdain. But I knew underneath the annoyance he was very happy that I was getting along with his mother like I was.

Needless to say, that night was the beginning of a long time of Anne and I teaming up on Harry.

Anne had become a second mother to me, and has always been there for me when my mother couldn't. It was nice to be able to know that there was always someone who would be there, besides Harry of course, but it was nice to have a stable motherly figure in my life.

My mom started to stay home more often after I returned from being kidnapped, and she started to be more of a mom again. It was nice to see and to actually carry conversations with her, many of them including the sister and daughter that we both miss so much.

My mother had decided to start a charity in Fizzy's honor, to help kids with mental illnesses, to keep them safe, and to ensure the safety of the people around them. Nick's mental instability had led him to make some decisions, and my mother had made peace with that.

I was very pleased to know that many kids have already benefited from this program.

And I know that Fiz was looking down on us with a smile on her face.

"Louis? Are you okay?" I was drawn back to reality at the sound of Niall's soft voice coming from behind me.

I saw that he was dressed in his suit and I smiled. "Niall, you look stunning," I complimented, smiling at him through the mirror. He smiled at me, and squeezed my shoulder lightly.

"You do too."

I looked back at myself in the mirror, and started to see more than just the hair.

I like to think of it as a big "Screw you" to Nick. Hell, even being here with my friends is a big enough "Screw you." I wasn't supposed to survive, yet I did. I just wish I could give the bird to Nick one more time.

"Thank you, Niall," I said, and walked away from the mirror, grabbed a bouquet of flowers, and joined Niall as we headed out the door and to the common area of the church.

"You completely missed it, Louis. Eleanor was about to kill Kendall for messing up her hair. But luckily the guys were right there to hold her back," Niall gushed, laughing at the memory. "I'm surprised Briana didn't step in or anything."

I snorted. "I don't blame her. After seeing that, who would want to take the chance with ruining their hair? So, how do the others look?"

Niall giggled, and I knew he must have been thinking about Nick. "They look very sharp, Louis. Don't you worry- those tuxes make them look like real men."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "On a scale from 1 to Chuck Bass?"

He giggled again. "Definitely Chuck Bass."

We continued our search for the common area until we were thrust upon countless decorations and flowers and displays that only meant one thing. We were at a wedding.

"There you are!" Briana exclaimed. "Don't want to be late, now do we?"

I shrugged, and looked at Niall whose face had turned red in embarrassment. "Wouldn't dream of it, Briana."

Briana looked absolutely stunning. I mean, her mom was a model, so it was in her blood, but boy was she beautiful. She was glowing, and for good reason. She was going to get married in approximately three minutes to the man of her dreams, who was already waiting for her at the altar.

Briana's father was next to her, and I smiled at the quiet words that were being spoken between father and daughter. A longing feeling swept over me, and I had to squeeze it away. This was Briana's day, not mine. I didn't have to worry about my father, not today.

"Hey Tomlinson." A voice breathed in my ear as two arms wrapped around my waist. "You look absolutely exquisite this evening."

I rolled my eyes at his cheesiness, and turned in his arms so that I was facing him. "You don't look so bad yourself, Styles. This seems like it's going to be good practice for you."

He laughed, and kissed me lightly on the lips. "I can't wait for the real deal, Mister Tomlinson."

"And I can't wait either, Mister Styles."

"Hey, lovebirds! Break it up! We gotta go!"

We both turned to see a very worked over Briana who was hanging on to her father's arm for dear life. That is one part I won’t be too excited for. The nerves must be horrifying.

We quickly broke apart, and took our places as the Best Man and Groom of Honor. We would be walking out together before Briana and her father, and I just got jitters at the thought of being able to do that myself sometime in the future.

The mental picture of seeing my Hazza at the end of the aisle just gives me the chills.

"Ready to go, Tomlinson?" He asked, leaning down to quietly speak in my ear before it was our turn to walk.

"Ready, Styles. Just don't let me go."

"Of course not, Tomlinson. Of course not. I'm tired of feeling alone."

He led me down the aisle, and I grinned at the sight of Cory Calder at the end of the aisle, twiddling his thumbs with an anxious look on his face. His eyes brightened when he saw me and Harry, and I winked at him knowing that he was just excited that Briana was next.

Harry and I got to the altar and split off, taking our spots respectively. The music shifted, changing into Canon in D. As soon as the new music started to play, the double doors reopened dramatically with Briana and her father waiting behind them.

I looked at Cory, who was looking at Briana with tears in his eyes and the widest smile I have ever seen on his usually so serious face. They were both so in love that sometimes it was physically demanding to have to be in the same room as them, but I knew that they would say the same thing about me and Harry.

Briana and her father made it down the aisle, and her father shook Cory's hand and kissed Briana on the cheek before taking his seat in the pew beside his ex-wife, who was in tears.

The priest started the ceremony, and I watched in pure joy as Cory and Briana became Mr. and Mrs. Calder. I knew that soon I would be taking Harry's name, and I couldn't wait for the day that I could introduce myself as Louis Styles, instead of Louis Tomlinson.

Haz wasn't going to be able to call me Tomlinson anymore, though. That was kind of a bummer.

"Do you, Cory Calder, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for better or for worse, from this day forward, until death do you part?"

Cory's voice spoke out confidently, "I do."

There was not a dry eye in the room.

The priest turned to Briana, and spoke. "Do you, Briana Jungwirth, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for better or for worse, from this day forward, until death do you part?"

Briana let out a laugh, "Fuck yeah I do!"

The audience laughed, and the priest chuckled a bit before speaking, "Cory, you may now kiss your bride."

Cory swooped Briana into a kiss and dipped her, completely sweeping her off her feet. I whooped and cheered as loud as I could, along with everyone else in the church. Amidst the chaos my eyes met with the green eyes of the man I love.

I ran my finger over the ring that was on my left hand, and winked.

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher once stated to "expect the unexpected." I never really understood what it meant, as if one would expect something to happen, they wouldn't be unexpecting it, therefore it made absolutely no sense at all.

But now, looking into the eyes of Harry Styles, my once arch nemesis, a boy who went to hell and back with me, and now my future husband… I knew exactly what good old Heraclitus meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it, folks!  
> I'm so happy with this story and I hope you guys are too, Louis and Harry's journey definitely was a wild one.  
> Thank you for allowing me to share this story with you and thank you for supporting this!  
> I love you all! Bye :)  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Uploads are every Friday at 4 pm PST :)


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